Sadness and Secrets
by Virgo girl 14
Summary: -Title may change- So begins our second year at Shiz with our Charmed Circle. Sisters at war, secrets to be revealed. More drama ensues and it's up to themselves to keep each other safe. Pairings: Fiyeraba Glinda x OC Bessa sequel to A Million Dreams
1. Chapter 1

A/N: *Ahem* Welcome, welcome! To another year at Shiz! Now I'd like to say a few words before we continue on with our friends' adventures... Thank you so much to everyone who read and followed A Million Dreams. Whether you reviewed or you, like me, silently read and appreciated the story, thank you. I hope the sequel will be just as exciting for you all. Now that my Dumbledore moment is done, let's begin!

**Sadness and Secrets**

The first week returning to Shiz had been quiet and uneventful as returning and new students filtered through the university gates and filled the hallowed halls of the vast imposing building. As with the start of any school year, many students began preparing for their upcoming classes, friends were reunited after two months apart, new students were getting used to their roommates in their dorms. Nobody even seemed to care that the rumours of a flying Monkey inhabiting the school turned out to be true, the most unusual about it was that it seemed to follow the strange green girl and her friends around constantly, and the most unusual sight was that the emerald-skinned woman was seen on the arm of the scandalacious, handsome Arjiki Prince.

By the time that first week was over and classes began, the new students seemed to forget about Elphaba and allowed the woman to blend into the background once more, much to her relief. In preparation for her first Law class, Elphaba lounged across her bed, her back against the cold stone wall, reading one of the books for the class, the window had been left open in a bid to cool the warm dorm room down, but so far the attempt was unsuccessful as summer seemed to cling on for a while longer. She looked up at the sound of a screech, and her dark eyes landed on Chistery perched on the window ledge, she marked her page and crawled off the bed, heading to the window to him. "Chistery? Are you alright?"

The Monkey pulled out a little green bottle from the pocket of his dark green waistcoat and held it out to her, almost frightened.

She gasped and slowly took it, making sure she didn't scare him off. She clutched it tight to stop her hands from trembling. "Where did you find this?" she kept her voice quiet, her head reeling and her brain frantic. The Animal was still scared, even though he knew she'd never hurt him.

_'Not found!' _He wanted to tell her, but he was still silent as he pulled out the note and handed it to her.

"Chistery, why are you afraid?" she asked, taking the note from him. "What happened?" she willed him to talk as she scanned the note, naively hoping it held the answers she wanted. She was unable to recognise the handwriting.

_'Secrets don't stay hidden forever. Even from beyond the grave. I know yours and I will destroy you._' It read.

"Who wrote this?" Elphaba looked at the bottle in her hands that was almost the exact colour of her skin, confused. "And what secret?"

Suddenly the door burst open with the familiar yell of "ELPHIE!" from the excitable blonde who now graced the room. "Elphie! I did it! I got into the drama department!" she squealed happily.

Elphaba put the items down and turned to face her bouncing friend. "Congratulotions." she smiled at her. As if there'd ever been any doubt of Glinda's overdramatic talents.

"Thank you! One of the boys there has the most particular dress sense though..."

"How so?"

Glinda simply shrugged naively. "Just... Walking around in a dress and heels as if it's perfectly normal... I don't understand it."

Elphaba had to laugh. Her friend wasn't maliciously ignorant. "Maybe he likes it and he's comfortable the way he is. I mean... I've seen stranger things in and around Munchkinland when I was dragged off with my father when he used to be a church minister." she told her. "Anyone, man or woman who can walk in heels and not fall over as I do is-"

"Completely normal and you just wear those ugly boots. If you practised with the heels more you could walk a lot more gracefully." Glinda smirked.

"Oh, please. We both know I have about as much grace as a drunken giraffe." Elphaba laughed again, slipping on the boots that so bothered her friend. "And my boots are comfortable. You're the one who got them for my birthday." she reminded her. "Anyway, I have something to do, I'll be back in a bit."

"But Elphie, it's almost time for-!" Glinda called after her but Elphaba had already left the room. "-class."

Elphaba slipped out of Crage Hall and Chistery lead the way to Briscoe Hall. She stopped a Gale Force soldier patrolling past the boys' dorms. "Excuse me?"

The soldier stopped midstep, his eyes widening in shock and he took an involuntary step back at the sight of Elphaba with the Monkey perched on her back. "Is something wrong, Miss?"

She rolled her eyes and bit her tongue for a second to stop a sarcastic barb. "Have you seen anybody strange going into this building? Or coming out of it?"

"I'm not sure I understand, Miss."

"Anybody who isn't a student, or a teacher, or even one of your men."

He shook his head. "No, Miss. Our patrols don't fully concentrate on the boys' building. We're here to ensure the safety of all students and teachers within the school, but primarily to ease the ladies."

She sighed and looked around. She'd have to see if Fiyero, Boq or Ollivander had seen anything, though she seriously doubted it. "Thank you." she turned on her heel to walk away. Chistery leapt from her back and flew above her head once more.

"Uh, Miss?"

"Yes?" She stopped and turned back to him.

"Are you aware that you're green?"

She blinked once and looked at him with a raised eyebrow. Did she know...? '_What kind of a brainless question is that? It's something Fiyero would say when he'd drunk.'_ she thought, slowly, mockingly raising her hand in front of her face. "Oh, sweet Oz, I am!" she gasped dramatically, her eyes wide and she shook her head. "Yes, I am aware. I've been painfully aware of that fact for twenty-one years. Thank you so much for bringing it to my attention."

The soldier blushed a dark red, mumbled his apologies and slunk away embarrassed.

Elphaba rolled her eyes again, she looked up and could swear Chistery was laughing. "Oh, and you needn't laugh! If you could tell me who left that bottle with you I wouldn't have had to do that!" She admonished, smiling fondly at the creature to show she wasn't really angry with him, if only slightly annoyed at the fact he couldn't talk, but that wasn't really his fault. "Come on, let's go back. We'll not find answers here." She headed back to the dorm with him, Glinda was reading a magazine upon her arrival, sprawled out on her front on the pink comforter.

"Who did you scare this time?" The magazine didn't move from the blonde's face.

"Who says I scared anyone."

"Your face."

"This is my normal face." the green girl smirked and she flopped on to the bed, putting away the forgotten book. "A guard made a comment, I snarked back."

"Elphie!" Glinda scolded, the desired effect was lost at her giggle.

Elphaba let out a loud, happy sigh. "It's good to be back!" she laughed and took out her braid, shaking her hair loose, another quiet sigh of relief as the tension on her head was lost. "Any update on our sorcery classes?"

Glinda shook her head. "Madame Astoria is still waiting for the replacement teacher to show up. Hopefully next week our schedule will go back to normal."

The other girl nodded. "Orientation is almost finished with the new students too," she commented.

"I see you found your bottle."

"Chistery did." She stood up and picked it and the note up, pocketing them, and she looked out of the window on to the lawns. "Something tells me we need to be careful, Lin."

"What do you mean?" she put the magazine down and rolled around until she was sat up on the bed.

"Gut feeling..." she shook her head and glanced at the clock. "Anyway, I've better go, otherwise I really will be running late for Literature." she grabbed her bag from the floor, her notebook and she left, leaving Glinda calling after her again. Of course, Elphaba was never intentionally late, even now, she knew she'd be early, and it gave her a chance to talk to Ollivander before their class began.

She quietly slipped inside the classroom and took her seat, waiting for her friend to arrive. Luckily for her, she didn't need to wait long, a minute or so later Ollivander had entered and sat beside her. It would be the first time since their arrival back at school they'd have a chance to talk away from their friends.

"How are you feeling?" He smiled at her.

"I'm alright." she nodded. "Just a little confused about something," she admitted.

"Are you sure? Glinda told me what happened during the holidays."

"Of course she did." She groaned and shook her head with a slight laugh. "Honestly, she needn't fret. But okay, I'll _be _alright, how about that."

He grinned. "Better. Now, what's got the great Elphaba Thropp confused?"

She smiled a little at the jab and she took out the note from her pocket, handing it to him. "This... Last term, I lost my little green bottle- my mother's actually... when our room was broken into... About twenty minutes ago, Chistery returned it with that note."

He scanned it. "Who is it from?"

"I don't know, that's what I was hoping you'd be able to figure out. Have you or the others seen anybody weird around your building?"

He shook his head, brows creasing in confusion. The handwriting wasn't familiar to him. "Well, it's only been a week and Avaric's brought some questionable women back to his room, but no, nothing out of the ordinary."

"Worth a try." she shrugged. "I mean... It could be someone trying to freak me out knowing that my room was broken into. Or something bad could happen."

He nodded. "Alright, well just be careful and keep an eye out for anything else out of the ordinary. Do you know what secrets it could mean?"

She shrugged. "Maybe they know something about the bottle that I don't," she suggested. "Which would explain a lot, because all I know is that this thing belonged to my mother and it was given to her by a man she was having an affair with, and the rumour being that I may or may not be a result of said affair."

"How do you-?"

"I've been told by someone who was close to her. Now, my mother was not an innocent woman by any means, but she was still my mother for three years." she put the note in her bag. "And you don't need to worry about me. All injuries are healed and I'm not going back there. I think if I did, Fiyero and Glinda would go to their graves early and they'd never forgive me." she smirked, sharing a quiet laugh with him as other students filtered into the classroom. The boy in the dress that Glinda had mentioned to her sat in the spare seat on her other side. She didn't have time to comment when the class began and she took out her books and her papers to make her notes.

Throughout the class, Elphaba ignored the passing of notes, scribbled with unimaginative insults aimed at her, though her temper was slowly rising, not helped by the temperament of the usually calm Ollivander was getting the better of him. "Just leave it," she whispered to him.

"How can you not react?" he hissed back at her.

"Because we're better than them."

He growled quietly and sat back in his chair. Hadn't his friend been through enough?

"Ollivander, please. They're too immature to see past what only a few do. I've dealt with it long enough."

"You shouldn't have to."

She gave a strained smile. "Now you sound like Fiyero."

"One of us has to when he's not here."

Finally, once the class was over, they both packed away their things, including a list of reading material.

"What do you have next?" he asked as they left the room.

"Astrology. And then nothing until Law which is after dinner," she answered.

"I'm stuck with Sciences." he huffed.

She smiled. "Unlucky. I'll see you later." They both headed in separate directions.

As she made her way through the corridors, she shut off her hearing to the insults, ignored the pushing and shoving of her closed-minded peers.

"Fae!"

She stopped halfway down the staircase as the nickname filtered through the self-imposed barrier and she smiled, looking up. "Fiyero, what are you doing?"

"Joining you for class." He grinned.

She raised an eyebrow at him as he bounded down the steps, stopping at the step before her. "But right now you have Politics, and you hate Astrology."

He shrugged. "I don't hate it, I just don't understand it."

"And a second-year class will help you understand better?"

"How hard is it to observe planets and stars? We did a lot of that back in the Vinkus."

She laughed. "Don't let Doctor Whiston hear you say that. Besides, it's a lot more than star-gazing, Fiyero." She turned and started walking again. "Because if you think I'm going to miss class for you, you've got another thing coming."

"Elphie-Fae, come on!" he pouted, following her.

"What did I tell you about that," she smirked. "No, whatever it is you're planning, it can wait until later."

"We don't have many classes together now."

"Yes, but it's only for this week with the new students. I'm sure you'll cope for this one week, there's obviously a method to what Madame Astoria is doing if she's making changes to the structure of how new starters are integrated," she told him. "Honestly, you're acting like being away from me would kill you." she finished with a quiet laugh.

"Oh, but it will!" He put a hand to his chest above his heart, dramatically falling against the wall, which made her laugh more. He laughed with her and straightened up, not caring that other people had been watching them.

"Oh, don't be so dramatic!" She shook her head and quickened her pace, putting some distance between them before she turned on her heel to face him once more. "Right, now you've walked me to class, now go to your own! Don't pout, it doesn't work." she laughed again as he grabbed for her, she closed her eyes briefly as he kissed her. "Go!" she shoved him away with a grin. "Fiyero, I mean it, be gone with you!"

He laughed. "Fine. I'll be back here after class." He wasn't surprised to be talking to her back as she ignored him and entered the classroom. The whispers started up again, and he decided to ignore them and not let them spoil his happy mood as he headed off to his own class. Politics without Elphaba was already putting a slight dampener on his mood without ignorant people adding to it.

"Sweet, Oz, that boy..." Elphaba muttered to herself as she made her way to her seat. She looked up at the stares and mutterings in her direction. "Yes, I'm still green, yes, I'm still here and no I don't care. You'd think after a year of me taking this class already you'd learn to ignore me! Go!" she snapped at one girl who had been staring too long, causing her to yelp in surprise and dash to her seat. With a satisfied smirk, Elphaba took her own seat and waited for the class to begin.

Later that evening, Elphaba had joined her friends for dinner, leaving Glinda to get ready by herself having told her she would not be late for the Law class she had afterwards.

"Just order for her," she told them with a smirk as she took her seat beside Fiyero, ignoring Nessa's eyes.

He hid his frown with a thoughtful look as he toyed with her hair that flowed down her back. He knew the sisters had been arguing a lot more than was considered to be normal, he wasn't alone in that observation and he hadn't been alone with Nessa long enough to discuss why, and whenever he broached the subject with Elphaba, she denied him her touch and told him to leave it alone. He remained in thoughtful silence for a moment longer until he stood up. "Boq? Can you help me with the drinks?"

Elphaba looked up from her conversation with Ollivander, seeing Fiyero pointedly ignoring the glare she was giving him and she shook her head as her boyfriend and their friend left the table. '_Coward._' She thought and stopped herself, realising she wasn't being fair, but that didn't stop the resentful feeling at being left with her sister seemingly on purpose.

Fiyero shuddered, well aware of the glare she was fixing him with and he refused to look at her. "What's wrong with those two? Or more specifically, what's Nessa's problem?"

Boq shrugged, he too wasn't daring to look back at the thunderous look Nessa was no doubt giving him. He stayed silent while Fiyero signalled for the barkeep "Nessa's becoming increasingly jealous." He finally admitted to his friend and ordered the round of drinks.

"Why?"

"She's not the centre of attention. Miss Elphie's finally being told her worth, finally being told that she's more than her sister's carer, and now obviously Miss Elphie wants more."

"As she should." Fiyero nodded. "But I'm not sure why Nessa is sulking when she should surely be happy for her sister."

"She sees it as she's being abandoned," Boq told him, having to recount the pointless, countless rantings of the wheelchair-bound girl. "You and Miss Glinda are taking her sister away from her."

"Is that what she said?" The prince scoffed at the Munchkin's nod. "Should I talk to her?"

"And say what?"

"I dunno? Try and convince her somehow that I'm not the bad guy? Fae's got dreams, she's always had them and she'd follow them whether I was her boyfriend or not, whether Glinda was her best friend or not."

"Maybe so, but you've both given her that confidence, regardless of whether or not she'd go without you."

Fiyero conceded his point and nodded. Elphaba had once told him something similar to that effect when he'd brought up the subject of happiness. Suddenly there was the sound of glass breaking behind him and a scream. He spun around to see Elphaba unconscious on the floor. "Fae!" he pushed his way between chairs and tabled until he reached her as Ollivander moved away their own chairs to give her space. He knelt beside her and gently put his fingers to her neck finding the strong, steady pulse immediately, the rise and fall of her bosom told him she was still breathing. "What happened?" He gently moved her to lay her head in his lap while another patron in the pub sent for a doctor.

Ollivander shrugged. "We were talking, then she excused herself for the bathroom, and she dropped as soon as she stood."

"She had a peculiar look on her face... Like she was seeing something we couldn't..." Nessa told him without looking at him, she couldn't bear to see the worried look on Fiyero's face as he touched her sister so gently he feared she'd break, willing her to open her eyes.

"Fae-Fae, come on, my love..." He whispered to her, one hand gently stroking her cheek, the other held her hand as he watched the rise and fall of his girlfriend's chest, confirmation that she was not slipping away from him just yet.

Five minutes seemed like an eternity until the doctor arrived. The withering old man tried to move Elphaba, fixing the young prince with a stare but relented when he was told he was not letting her go, so he had to examine his patient on the floor. "What's her name?"

"Elphaba," Nessa told him.

"Has she fainted before?"

The students around him shook their heads, Ollivander gave his explanations again to the old man.

"When was her last meal?" That was met with a shrug. "Is there a chance this young lady could be pregnant?"

"No." It was Fiyero who answered, ignoring the glare from Nessa. "We haven't-"

"Very well." The old man cut him off mercifully, and that too seemed to settle Nessa and she sat back in her chair.

"Will she be alright?" she asked.

"She will be. My guess is that she just needs to make sure that she eats and looks after herself." He nodded, standing up. "It may have been a long time ago, but I do remember what it's like for university students. Are you first years or-?"

"Second," Ollivander told him.

He nodded. "All this young lady needs to do is to eat."

"Which is what we were here for, ironically." The Gillikinese male had to chuckle at that.

Fiyero laughed a little and kept his gaze on Elphaba.

A moment later, green eyelids flew open revealing the dark, frantic eyes that lay beneath and she shot up with a gasp, screwing her eyes shut momentarily at the sudden movement and accompanying blood rush.

"Fae?"

She looked behind her, opening her eyes on her very worried and anxious boyfriend. "Fiyero!" she gasped. "Oh, Oz, Yero!" she cried and threw her arms tight around him.

He held her close, shooting anxious looks to his friends who looked equally as frightened. "Shh... Fae, it's alright." He held her tighter while she trembled.

The doctor frowned at the two of them. "Miss Elphaba?" He sighed when the frightened young woman shook her head, denying his presence. "Miss Elphaba, look at me." He was met with silence and he shook his head. "You must take better care of yourself," he told her.

"She will, we'll make sure of it," Ollivander told him. "Thank you for coming out to her." he walked the doctor out of the pub.

"Dearest! Is everything alright?" Glinda beamed when she saw him and she greeted him with a kiss.

"I think Elphaba had a vision and she passed out, which is why the doctor was called."

"What?" Glinda paled. "Where is she? What happened?"

"She's still in there. She woke up, panicked when she saw Fiyero and now she won't let him go." He explained and took her inside, Elphaba and Fiyero were still on the floor, holding tightly to one another.

"Elphie!" Glinda dashed to them, kneeling beside Fiyero in her friend's eye line. "Elphie? Sweetie, it's me." she cooed softly.

Elphaba sniffled and tilted her head a little to look at her friend.

Glinda sighed sadly, her friend wasn't crying, but there was no denying she looked absolutely terrified. She tried to reach for the girl and withdrew her hand when Elphaba shrank away. "Oh, Elphie... Was it a vision?" she asked softly. A tentative nod. "To do with Fiyero?" At that question, her friend tightened herself around him as an affirmation.

"I think I should get her out of here," Fiyero spoke quietly.

"That would be a good idea... She's thirty seconds away from a _very _public meltdown... She could still be seeing whatever's playing inside her head." she helped him to stand Elphaba up. "Where will you be? I'll bring your food. And I'll tell your professor you won't be in class."

He nodded. "The boys' building is closer, and the state she's in she won't want me to go anywhere... Which means Crage Hall is out of the question... We'll take a cab." He told her quietly so that Nessa didn't hear.

Glinda nodded and kissed Elphaba on the cheek. "You're safe now, Elphie... So is Fiyero." It frightened her when she didn't respond. Elphaba was never scared. Never. To see her in such a terrified, catatonic state now scared the blonde. She wished she could be with her, but right now she wasn't what Elphaba needed. If anything ever happened to Fiyero in the future, she seriously feared for her friend's mental well-being if this was a reaction to a simple vision.

Fiyero lead Elphaba out of the pub, raising his arm to signal for a cart, getting into the first one to stop. His heart stopped, his blood running cold at the whimpering she voiced when she briefly lost contact with him, and she latched herself on to him again quickly once inside. "Briscoe Hall, Shiz University." He told the driver in a tight voice and they were quickly on their way. Once there, he paid the driver and helped her out, and he took her inside and up to his room. "Elphie-Fae, talk to me."

Slowly she looked up at him, and her hands gently caressed his face in wonder, green fingers then slowly travelled down his neck, across his shoulders and down his arms until she reached his hands. "Yero..." she whispered, looking down at their hands.

"Fae, what happened?"

"Blood... So much blood..."

"Where?"

"You." She looked up at him again, but she wasn't seeing him.

He closed his mouth, she wasn't making much sense to him, but she seemed to be making sense to herself and wondered if she just needed a verbal outlet.

She continued with her nonsensical, whispered mutterings for a few minutes longer. "Terror... Terror... Blood... Evil..."

He sighed and picked her up, carrying her through to his bedroom and lay her on the bed, laying down beside her, facing her. He had taken to gently caressing her side, keeping his eyes on her as she mumbled to herself.

Slowly, she eventually began to come back to him, the fog in her eyes lifting. She blinked and lifted herself on her elbow, looking around her. "Where am I?"

"My room," he told her, his hand stopping at her waist and she lay back down.

"When did I get here...?"

He looked over his shoulder at his clock. "Half an hour ago." Had it really been that long? It felt like she was lost to him inside her own head for far longer. It seemed to last forever. "What happened, Fae?" He moved to hold her hands in between them.

She shook her head. "My visions- as few and far between as they are... don't usually affect me so greatly..." She gave him an apologetic look. "I'm sorry I frightened you..."

He raised her hands and he kissed them. "I'm more worried about you."

"My love, don't be. I'm alright." she looked at him, seriously considering not telling him what she saw, but he quickly melted her resolve with those sad blue eyes of his so full of love and concern. "But what I saw did scare me..." she let go of his hands and shuffled until she fit perfectly against him, a contented hum in her throat as his arms circled her waist. "You were in a field... I think." she paused to rearrange her racing thoughts. "You were hurt so badly... You were losing so much blood and nothing I was doing was working." she buried her head into his chest listening for his heartbeat. "I was trying to save you but I couldn't..."

He kissed her head and held her closer. "My Fae, mon amour, I'm here, whatever happens, I'm always here with you. It's going to take a lot more than a fight of some kind to pull me away from you."

"But what if something does happen to you?" She lifted her head to look up at him. "Fiyero, I-"

He cut her off with a kiss, putting every emotion into it, where words could not ease her terrified mind, he hoped this would.

She closed her eyes and sank easily into it, keeping a tight grip on his shirt.

"I'm never leaving you, Fae, I promise," he told her when he pulled away.

All she could do was nod as she buried herself against him once more. Her class was forgotten, but for once, Elphaba didn't care. They both had other things on their minds and stayed within the comfort of the embrace.

Elphaba was sleeping when Glinda entered Fiyero's room with their forgotten food.

"How is she?" Glinda asked, putting the takeaway containers in the kitchenette area and headed across to the bedroom. "Did she tell you what she saw?"

He sighed and shrugged. "She's sleeping for now... Whether or not she's okay..." He trailed off and didn't move from the bed. "She saw my tortured, dying body, and she couldn't save me."

Glinda gasped, her hand flying to her mouth. "Oh, Elphie..." She whispered. "I've told your professor too... Told him she had a fainting spell and you were with her."

"Thanks, Glinda." he smiled a little.

"Do you want me to bring a change of clothes for her? I can make excuses for Nessa, not that she'd notice or care." she looked at her friend sleeping so peacefully.

He nodded. "That would probably be a good idea. Thank Oz she doesn't have classes until tomorrow afternoon."

Glinda put her hand on his shoulder to comfort him. "If she wakes up before I get back, hug her for me." she smiled and walked out. When she returned twenty minutes later, Elphaba still hadn't woken up or moved. "You, out. I'm gonna help her dress," she told him.

"Alright." He had to laugh as he slowly extracted himself from his girlfriend's embrace and he left the room.

The movement caused Elphaba to stir and wake up. "Fiyero?"

"Elphie, it's just me. Come, you can't sleep in that uncomfortable old thing." Glinda told her in a gentle tone, helping her to sit up.

She looked up at her with unseeing eyes. "Lin...?"

"Yes, Elphie, it's just me," she repeated, gently touching her cheek before she started to unlace the corset and helped her out of the dress, standing the girl up to assist her into her nightdress and then eased her back into bed. Elphaba remained silent throughout the whole thing until she was back in bed.

"Where's Fiyero? Is he hurt? I have to-"

"He's fine, Elphie. Just fine." she smiled. "He's just in the other room while you changed." she kissed her on the cheek as Elphaba usually did with her. "I'll see you in the morning." she stood and turned to see him in the doorway. "You take care of her, you hear?"

He laughed at the small girl's attempt at intimidation, nodded and saluted her all the same. "Yes, ma'am." he grinned.

"Good." she smiled and walked out.

Elphaba giggled quietly from the bed as he headed over to her. "She means well."

He nodded. "I know." He went to his bathroom to get himself dressed for bed, getting back into bed dressed in a t-shirt and a pair of shorts and he held her close to him once more. "How are you feeling now?"

She cuddled closer to him and closed her eyes. "A bit better."

"Good." he kissed her head again.

"Yero...?"

"Yeah?"

"Tell me about the diamonds again?"

He grinned and began to recount the story he'd already told her before until she fell asleep.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Hello again Kayla! And James Birdsong! Good to see you back! I'm going to try and stick to updating once a week, possibly a Sunday.

**Sadness and Secrets**

"Nessa?"

The younger girl stopped and turned her chair around to face Fiyero. "Yes?"

"Do you have a minute to talk?"

She nodded, looking up at him. "Yes, of course. What is it?"

"It's about you. And Elphaba."

She scowled. "What did she do now?"

He bristled and forced himself to remain calm. "It's not about what she did, or didn't do." He told her.

"Then we have nothing to say to each other." She turned her chair and started to wheel away.

"What is your problem?"

She stopped again and turned. "Excuse me?! How dare you-"

"No. You listen to me." he looked at her and crossed the space between them again. He refused to shout across the corridor. "She's your sister and all she's ever done is put you above herself every time. She's still doing it, even now. But now she's also looking out for herself, and what? You don't like it?"

"Of course I'm happy that she's finally putting herself first and she's happy! But she doesn't have to leave me to do it!"

"Are you serious?! I'd sooner kill your father myself before I let him anywhere near her again! After what he did?!" He shook his head. "No, there's something else here, I'm not completely stupid. What's this really about, Nessa?"

"That's not what I-" she cut herself off and sighed heavily. "She's abandoning me."

He sighed, brushing his hand through his hair. "She's making her life better for herself. Is that really so wrong?" He knelt by the chair. "She'd never leave you, Nessa. Not completely."

"Don't talk to me like I'm a child, Fiyero." She pushed forward.

"I'm not." He jumped up and walked with her. "She's still your sister, no matter where in Oz she goes, and you know that. She loves you too much to leave you behind."

"if she loves me then why _is _she leaving me?"

He groaned. "Because it's something she needs to do. Let her get it out of her system and she'll come back to you." He knew it wasn't the case. He knew that Elphaba would help the Animals for as long as she could.

"No, she won't. You and Glinda won't let her."

He laughed at that. "I'm sorry... Are you sure we're talking about the same woman? If I tried to tell Elphaba what to do or tried to control her she'd string me up like a scarecrow!"

Nessa scowled again.

"It's true! She'd bloody kill me! In fact, I wouldn't put it past that woman to actually turn me into a scarecrow and leave me in a field somewhere."

She sighed and nodded, accepting defeat. "Alright fine. What happened last week?"

Fiyero shrugged. "The fainting spell was brought on by her stressing herself out too much."

"Glinda said she wouldn't let you go until she came back to the dorm."

He nodded. Nessa had no idea that he'd actually spent the night with his distressed girlfriend in his room, calming her through the several night terrors she'd endured through the night. "I've never seen her so freaked out. But Glinda knew what to do." He told her. Despite the frequent nightmares, once Elphaba had got some sleep, she was fine by morning. He'd had to distract her and talk to her until she was calm enough to sleep again. She'd told him about the rediscovery of her missing bottle, and while he hadn't seen anyone around, he promised to keep a lookout, and he was so far keeping to his promise. Throughout the rest of the week, they had also been teaching Chistery to talk. So far all the Monkey had managed was an amalgamation of his name; 'Ero'. Although that could have been down to the number of times the creature had heard Elphaba call out for him that night.

Nessa nodded. "Fiyero, are you telling the truth?"

"About what?"

"You and Elphaba have never-?"

"Nope. Of course, that's not to say I don't want to." He suppressed a smirk at her glare. "But we both think it's too soon for that step. She seems content to wait and I'm not going to be the one to rush her. I'd wait forever for her. If anything was to happen it would be a mutual decision and completely on her terms."

"You're right, it is too soon."

He nodded again. "Was there anything else you wanted to know?"

"No."

"Good. Because even if there was, it should come from Elphaba herself. I really don't think she'd appreciate me gossiping about our relationship." He told her. "All I'll say is just ease off of her a bit. I know you've had her all to yourself all this time, but she is allowed a life of her own. What did you think would happen when you and Glinda set us up?"

Nessa looked ahead of her, avoiding looking at him.

"Did you think I'd get bored?" A furious blush was his answer. He sighed, he supposed he deserved that one. His intentions with previous girls had been less than honourable, and the papers exaggerated what he had done. "Alright, I deserve that. I guess in the past, maybe I would have done. But Elphaba is different, in every way possible. The first woman to not fall at my feet and be taken in by the charm and the title. The first person outside of my family to call me out on my foolishness. Where I didn't care a twig what people thought before, suddenly with her it mattered. Her opinions, her voice mattered. She's the first woman to push me, and every single one of my buttons and she drives me to absolute frustration. The first to love me with or without the infamy, the money, the title, the swagger and the charm. And I know that one day in the future I'm going to marry her."

Nessa looked up while he spoke, and she saw the raw, true honesty there on his face, the fierce love he had for the woman he was talking about. In reality, she knew she wasn't losing her sister, and knew that Fiyero loved her just as much as she loved him. But she'd already been abandoned by her mother's death, it felt like Elphaba was abandoning her too, and to an extent, she was. She'd leave for the Emerald City after graduation, and if Fiyero was true to his word of marriage, she'd then leave for the Vinkus.

"I'm not trying to take your sister away, Nessa. I'd never do that, and neither would Glinda. So go and find her, make up with her. She's the only sister you have."

"Do not patronise me, Fiyero."

"I'm not trying to, I'm trying to get you to see your sister."

"If she wanted to speak to me then she should come, not send her boyfriend to do her dirty work."

He made an annoyed sound in his throat. "Are you Thropp women inherently stubborn?!"

"I wouldn't know. She took my mother away before I took my first breath!"

Instantly he backed off as though she'd physically threw him. "What?"

Her hands flew to her mouth with a look of shamed horror on her face. "I don't... I didn't mean that..."

"Nessa..." He looked at her warily, all anger and frustration leaving his body. "You don't believe that Elphaba was responsible...do you?" How many times had his Fae been blamed for something beyond her control? How many times had she heard it in her life?

"N-no! Of course not!" she shook her head. "I just remember conversations from years ago... Between Nanny and father and...- Oh, Fiyero I didn't mean it, I swear!"

He shook his head. "She was just a kid, you both were."

"I know..."

He sighed heavily and walked off, leaving Nessa calling after him. He headed to the library where he knew he'd find Elphaba. "What are you doing?" he asked in an amused tone when he found her on a set of steps, putting books away.

Flicking her long dark hair over her shoulder as she turned to face him, she grinned. "I took a part-time job in here."

He laughed. "If you keep joking about that I'll never believe you." He paused at her expression. "You're being serious this time?"

She nodded and laughed when he picked her up around the waist, spun her around and then set her back down. "How did it go with Nessa?"

He groaned and leaned on the bookshelf, picking a strand of black hair from her white cotton blouse before flicking it away. "I'd like to think your mother was just as stubborn to pass it on to the two of you."

"That bad, huh?" She smiled tenderly and brushed a hair through his messy hair before returning to her task. "You tried, it's okay."

"No, it's not."

She stepped down to the trolley once the last book was put away, he picked up the steps as she pushed the trolley of books to the next shelf. "Yero, I know how much family means to you, I've seen it in action for myself. But right now, Nessa's warped sense of family is not needed."

"What does that mean?"

"You still have anger in your eyes even though you're smiling at me. Did she finally break her silence on her view of the green murderer of our mother?"

Fiercely, he took hold of her by the elbows and pinned her against the shelf. "Don't talk about yourself like that."

She simply smiled. Gone was his anger, replaced by anguish and love. For all of his fierceness, his face still held love, his hold on her was gentle and his body screamed protection. She could never be frightened of him, not even in this moment. She lifted her arms out of his grip and gently placed her hands on his face. "Yero, I know. I know what she thinks, I know what _he _thinks. I've heard it enough times, and once upon a time, I believed it. Not now, never now." she silenced any forthcoming protests with a kiss.

"Fae..."

"Shh..." Her thumb softly caressed his lips. "Not right now. I know." she smiled and removed herself from between his body and the shelf, and gathered up a pile of books to start putting them away.

"I love you."

Another fond smile in his direction. "You too."

He grinned. "Oh, and before I caught up with her, I got our notes from the Law class we missed." He took the folded up pieces of paper from his pocket and put them on a pile of books.

"Thank you. I'll take a copy when we're done in here."

"We?"

"Mhm. Since you seem so intent on bothering me while I work, you can make yourself useful."

"I just remembered, Boq asked me to... help him with a thing."

She smirked. He was such a bad liar. "A thing?"

"Yep." He nodded.

"And what thing would that be?"

"Just a thing." He grinned and turned to leave the room.

"Fiyero!"

He stopped and looked back at her.

"Tell him to grow a pair and make a decision," she smirked and turned back to her pile of books.

He blinked, confused and left the library before she could talk him into helping her. He wandered outside into the courtyard, and it didn't take him long to find his friend. He walked over to the water fountain and dropped down beside the Munchkin. "If you're hiding, you're not doing a very good job at it."

"Miss Elphie blends in better than I do." Boq agreed.

Fiyero chuckled softly. "I'm apparently supposed to tell you to man up and make a decision. Any ideas what Fae means?"

Boq grimaced and shook his head, Elphaba had been talking about his recent predicament with Nessa. "I think we've had enough women talk right now, don't you?" he evaded the question.

He laughed at the pained look on Boq's face. "The wrath of a Thropp woman is scary enough, right?" he smirked. "Come on, it can't be that bad. My classes are done for the afternoon and yours?"

Boq nodded. "Yeah... Mine too... What's your point?"

"Well, let's grab Ollivander and the three of us go into town for a few drinks. Fae's gonna be in that library for hours, Glinda's indulging in her dramatics and Nessa will be sulking."

Boq nodded again, deciding not to ask why Nessa was mad now. "Fine. But we don't talk about Nessa. And you don't get all lovesick over Miss Elphie."

"So you two did fight." He smirked and nodded. "Fine, no girlfriend talk," he added and they both headed off in the direction of Ollivander's class just in time to see him leaving, they all then headed back to Briscoe Hall to drop off bags and papers, collected their money and headed out into Shiz Town.

"The Artichoke finally let you out, Tiggular?!"

Fiyero rolled his eyes at the smug smirk on Avaric's face. "What do you want, Avaric?"

"Why don't you ditch those two and join us? The night is still young and there are more drinks to be had and girls to dance with."

"I think I'll pass." He shot the other male a disgusted look. "I don't ditch friends and I don't need other girls."

"I don't see what's so special about the green bean. What, is she good in bed or something?"

Fiyero glared and clenched his fists at his sides. "Leave Elphaba out of this," he growled. "Avaric, if you go near her, I swear-"

Avaric laughed and shook his head. "Relax, Tiggular, I wouldn't go there even if she was the last woman to reproduce with. The offspring would be born green and I'd have to get rid of them."

Before his friends could stop him, Fiyero swung a punch at him, connecting his fist with his nose with a loud, satisfying crack. He shrugged off Ollivander's arm. "It's done," he told him and the three friends weaved through the crowd to the nearest pub, leaving Avaric bloodied and shouting insults and threats after them.

"He's not worth the trouble," Ollivander told him.

"I know, but I won't have him talking about Fae like that."

His friends nodded and they got their drinks.

"I wouldn't be sorry if you broke his nose." Boq shrugged, heading to a table.

Glinda had finished her drama class and had picked up her post from the mailroom. There was a letter from her parents, a package from her grandmother and a few letters for Elphaba. She made her way to the library, finding her green friend easily. "Elphie, these came for you."

Elphaba, still putting the books away, looked down at her friend and smiled. She stepped down to the ground and opened one of the letters.

_My little one_

_I have good news, I've managed to locate your mother's sister in a small village in Quox, looking after her ailing young daughter. She's so thrillified to know you're alright and wishes to write to you. I haven't told her everything that's happened, but I've told her that you've recently run into some trouble, and she's told me that she owns a small cottage nearby that is used as a rented holiday home, but she is more than happy to give it to you. If you'd like me to, I can tell her where she can contact you and she can write to you herself._

_Now, I hope you're alright, and you're not putting too much stress on yourself. You've become quite the mystery lately, young one, being spotted on the arm of your love. I've indulgently kept the picture from the article because I've never seen you look so happy._

_Be safe, young Elphaba, and be happy. Try not to stress about things, I told you things will work out in the end. They always do. What did I tell you about doubting me?_

_Love, Morwenna_

"What does it say, Elphie?"

"My mother's sister... My aunt, I guess... She's been found alive." Elphaba spoke quietly. "And if I want it, there's a small cottage in Quox near to where she lives."

"Oh, Elphie that's amazing!"

Elphaba laughed softly. "And apparently people in Munchkinland care about what happens in the Vinkus. It looks like one or two of the dates Fiyero took me on made it to the papers."

"I thought he was careful and made sure that didn't happen?"

She shrugged. "I thought so too, but I guess there were a few rogue journalists out there. Apparently, I look happy."

Glinda giggled. "You do. You light up like a Lurlinemas tree around him."

She gave her friend an impressed look at the jab and laughed. "Well, it helps that I'm green. Now I'm curious as to what these articles say." She sighed and opened another envelope while Glinda opened her package. After scanning the letter, Elphaba laughed again.

"What is it?"

"This letter from Tom... About ninety per cent of it is ranting that I never told him Fiyero is a Prince, and that he had to find out by reading it in the paper. A couple of lines about how Frex isn't happy about it - which is probably what that third letter is... And the rest is an update on the Animal situation. The post office lost the Owls and a school removed a Bison from its canteen staff... "

"Well, if it is," Glinda took the final envelope from her and ripped it open, read it quickly and then she promptly tore it in two. "You don't need his negativity in your life anymore, Elphie."

She made no move to protest Glinda's actions and she nodded. "I know. Things are looking up, Lin." She smiled. "I have family, both blood and not, and by the end of the year I could possibly have a new home, I also have this job."

"Exactly."

"So what did your grandmother send you this time? Another horrendible article of clothing you can palm off to me under the pretence of being nice?" she smirked.

"Oh, don't act like you don't love that hat!" Glinda stuck her chin in the air. "I did you a favour with that." She added with a smirk. "She sent me a pair of shoes, but... I'm not too sure on the colour... They look a bit like Nessa's." She pulled out a pair of teal, sparkly shoes, getting an uneasy feeling about them as she held them. "They feel odd."

"Odd how?" Elphaba raised an eyebrow, folding up her letters and pocketing them with her class notes.

"This is going to sound crazy, Elphie, but I think they're magical."

The green girl paused for a second before she cackled loudly. "How... Just how can a pair of shoes be magical?" she asked in a lower tone when the librarian called for quiet.

Glinda blushed and thrust them in her direction. "Hold them! Tell me there's no magic in those shoes! Oz, I ought to burn them!"

Elphaba took hold of the shoes and shook her head. There was absolutely no way... And yet... They seemed to hum and vibrate in her hands. "They feel like normal shoes to me." she dismissed it and put the shoes back in the box. "If you're that concerned, write back and ask her about them."

"I swear that woman is out to curse me."

"So ask her about them. There could be a simple explanation." No, she told herself. Objects were not cursed. They were not in this school.

Glinda nodded.

"What did your parents have to say?"

"They were just asking how we were settling in... And they've finished the arrangements for you to come home with me for Lurlinemas."

"Well... I'm almost done here, so why don't we finish up, then we can go back, write our letters and find the rest of the group and we can go out?"

"The boys are already in town, Milla said she saw them leave about twenty minutes ago."

"Oh. Looks like it's just us then." Elphaba grinned and finished putting away the last of the books, took her bag from the trolley then they both left the library.

"We could always join them?" Glinda suggested.

Elphaba shook her head. "No, I don't really feel like drinking." she declined as Glinda linked her arm and carried her things with her free arm. "There's a box in my closet I've been meaning to look in since we left Munchkinland, but I keep getting distracted."

Glinda smiled and nodded. "Alright, we can look through it while we have time now." They both headed back to their room.

Elphaba dropped her bag at the foot of the bed, took the papers from her pocket and put them on the table before she headed to her closet and took the box out. She sat on her bed with Glinda and opened it.

"It's full of old photographs." Glinda smiled, picking up a small pile of them and looking through them.

Elphaba's smile grew softer. "And little trinkets my mother must have collected... I thought they'd all been thrown away or destroyed..." she toyed with a charm bracelet that was almost bare.

"This must be your mother's family." Glinda held up one of the photographs.

Elphaba dropped the item in the box and looked up at it. "I think that's my grandparents," she told her. "They looked happy."

The blonde nodded. "They do, don't they. Oh! Look!" she put the picture down and picked up another. "This must be her and her sister."

Elphaba took it slowly, softly biting her lip, tracing a green finger delicately across the faces in the photo. "You know... Nessa's never looked at me like that." She said quietly. '_That's because Nessa doesn't care.'_ The spiteful little voice in her head sniped.

Glinda held her hand gently. "To be fair, Elphie... You're not an openly affectionate person." she lightly teased.

The green girl laughed a little. "That's true enough... Damn you and Fiyero for changing that." She bit, the smile on her face showing she was teasing, and Glinda giggled.

"Well, how do you expect to go on dates with him or marry him if you won't be seen with him or show him affection."

"Not this again!" Elphaba laughed again. "Glinda, I will not get married just because you want a new pretty dress," she smirked. "In any event, should Fiyero and I get to that point, I'd like to wait until after graduation."

"Alright, alright," the blonde pouted. "Of course you'll make it. That boy would follow you to the ends of Oz and forever. You both love each other so much. Oh, just think! If you married while still with the Wizard, you could unite Oz!" she giggled.

"Now that's a whole other headache I really don't want or need," Elphaba grumbled. "Besides, I'm pretty sure if that happened, from what I've read, Fiyero and I would have to abandon our positions at the Emerald City and return to the Vinkus."

"So you are thinking about it? Oz, you must be if you're reading about what your options would be!"

Elphaba rolled her eyes and said nothing.

"Oh, Elphie, he was so scared for you after your vision..." Glinda sighed softly.

"I know... He wouldn't be apart from me for more than two minutes... In fairness, I probably didn't let him move either." she shuddered. "I know I didn't sleep all that much. Every time I fell asleep I kept seeing it." she shook her head. "It felt so real."

Glinda touched her arm. "Hopefully it won't come to that."

Elphaba shook her head again. "I hope so too."

Both girls changed the subject and continued looking through the box of Melena's personal items.

A few hours later, Glinda was curling her hair and Elphaba was reading a book when a knock sounded at the door.

"Come in!" Glinda called as she pinned one last curl to her head, pausing when she saw Attricia, Nessa's maiden enter the room.

"Miss Nessa had requested Miss Elphaba's presence." The young woman smiled.

Elphaba looked over the top of her book. "What did I do now?"

"She didn't say."

"Well, I'm coming with you," Glinda told her, leaving no room for argument as Elphaba marked her book and stood up, and they left the dorm, heading for Nessa's room.

"Nessa?" Elphaba spotted her sister on her bed, and she sat down beside her.

The younger Thropp glared daggers at her sister. "I requested you, not Glinda."

"And whatever you have to say you can say it in front of her. I'll only tell her what you've said anyway." Elphaba rolled her eyes.

Nessa boiled over. "Why did you send Fiyero to talk to me?!"

"I didn't. He offered to, I just didn't discourage him from doing so."

Nessa's glare intensified. "He has no business meddling in family matters! He's not family!"

"Yet. Who knows what the future would bring?" Elphaba told her.

"He's still your friend, Nessa. He's still Elphie's boyfriend, and, Oz, that boy's made no secret of the fact he's going to propose to her one day." Glinda put in.

"And until he decides otherwise, that's how it's staying." Elphaba finished with another roll of her eyes. "Anything else?"

"Don't patronise me."

"Are you done acting like a child?" she raised an eyebrow.

Nessa scoffed.

"Nessa, Fiyero didn't mean any harm, he was trying to help," Elphaba told her. "I don't understand the issue or what I've done wrong."

"You're leaving me."

The green girl looked perplexed. "Well... Of course, I am. I can't be at the Wizard's side and help the Animals from Munchkinland."

"You clearly don't care about me!"

This time she glared. "You know that's not true."

"Leave me alone!"

"Not until we resolve this," Elphaba could feel a headache stabbing her temples. "I don't know what you expected from all of this,"

"I just want my sister back."

She gave a frustrated, muted scream. "I never left! I'm still here! I don't think you realise just how much Fiyero and Glinda saved my stubborn backside in the Emerald City! If it weren't for them I'd have probably gone against the Wizard alone and made even more of an embarrassment to the family." She looked at her sister. "The fact is, you don't miss me, you just miss the fact that I'm not jumping to your every need anymore, and you can't run to daddy the minute the green bean steps out of line. Nessa, I love you, you're my little sister, how could I not?"

"But you care more about the Animals than you do me, which is a ridiculous notion. You won't atone for your mistakes by helping creatures you've never met that shouldn't exist in the first place. The Unnamed God won't save your soul, even if you had one. You would help them but not me."

Elphaba reeled back slightly. "Now you wait just a clock-tick! Help you!? How?! In what possible way could I...-" she stopped. "Oh, of course..."

"What?" Glinda looked at her.

"Oh, Nessa..." Elphaba sighed, looking to Glinda. "She wants to be out of that chair... It's what she's always wanted, to be normal, to walk."

Nessa fell silent, still sulking.

"Nessa, you have to understand, magic doesn't work like that." she looked at her sister again. "Even if such a spell exists... there's no guarantee it would work... I'm not skilled or powerful enough... I don't know enough about my craft to be able to help you, or if it's even possible to."

"Get out."

"Very well." she nodded and stood up. "Whenever you're ready to stop sulking, I forgive you, and I'm sorry." she walked out with Glinda.

Glinda linked her arm with her friend's. "Do you really think she expects you to perform miracles and make her walk?"

"It's always a possibility with her. In any case, it's not like there _is _a spell out there to take away her disability. That Grimmerie is dangerous to us right now with our lack of knowledge, regardless of whether it could be of help or not."

Glinda nodded. "Come on. You can help me write my letter to my parents about those Oz awful shoes!"

Elphaba laughed and nodded. "Fine... I need to write my own letters too..."

The girls headed back to their room to write their letters, Glinda kept shooting reproachful looks at the box that contained her latest gift the whole time.

"Can't I just bury them somewhere?!"

Elphaba simply laughed and shook her head, taking the box and shoving it in her closet. "Better?"

"Yes." the blonde pouted.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Thank you guys for reading :) I know we're slow going with this story compared to the fast pace of A Million Dreams... I promise it will get better. I know I promised an update every week, but I'm going on vacation next week and I may not be able to have the update up next Sunday, but I will give you the next update as soon as I am able. Happy reading! Don't forget to review! Love you guys!

**Sadness and Secrets**

A few weeks later, the seasons began to change and the weather grew colder as Autumn set in, and as predicted, the upheaval settled down and schedules were back to normal, and with it, saw the arrival of Elphaba and Glinda's new sorcery teacher.

"How did your first class go?" Boq asked when he saw the two girls enter the canteen, the rest of the group looked up curiously.

"I love her. She's so much better than Morrible ever was!" Glinda grinned.

Elphaba nodded. "Yeah, she works to our strengths. She works better when calm under pressure, and it comes as no surprise to anyone that I work better when I feel what I'm doing."

"What was it she called us...? Oh! A perfect chaotic balance!"

Fiyero laughed. "Well, I could have told you that." He grinned as Elphaba sat beside him.

"And what's that supposed to mean?" she smirked.

"You balance each other out, probably always have done, you just never realised it until you became friends. Even when you're emotional, sometimes she's the catalyst that calms you."

"There's only really been one exception to that." Ollivander pointed out with a nod. "You don't necessarily have to be lovers to be soul mates, you know." He winced as she kicked him, and Glinda giggled beside him. "What? I just mean that there's a special kind of bond between the two of you, and you connect magically."

Elphaba rolled her eyes. "Anyway, what are we doing in here?"

"We were playing a card game while we waited for you, we're just waiting for Nessa now," Boq answered.

Elphaba nodded, shifting a little closer to Fiyero.

"Elphaba?"

She looked around to see Nessa wheeling herself towards her.

"Can I talk to you for a minute?"

She paused, looking at her sister with tired, bored eyes. "Can't you talk here?"

"Please, Fabala."

She sighed and stood up, as did the others. "Fine."

"We'll meet you both outside." Fiyero kissed her cheek, Boq avoided Nessa's gaze as the four friends left the canteen.

"Well?" Elphaba looked at her sister.

"I've been out of order... I'm sorry," Nessa reached for her hand, and tentatively lowered it back to her lap when her sister withdrew her own hand. "Fabala... I really am sorry..."

The green girl nodded, folding her arms across her chest. "I've no doubt you are." She looked at her. "Nessa, I can't keep dealing with your tantrums. I love you, 'm not leaving you, but if you keep doing this, you will push me away. Haven't I demonstrated enough by distancing myself from you?"

"I realise that..."

She kept her cold gaze on Nessa for a moment longer before the facade dropped and she bent to hug her. "I forgive you."

Nessa hugged back, relieved to have her sister back. "I'll be better."

She nodded and stood upright. "Come on, before Fiyero eats everything."

The younger Thropp giggled and wiped her eyes, and the sisters left the canteen and headed outside.

"Still breathing then?" Ollivander teased.

"Not sure she will be if she pulls another stunt like that, again, though, sister or not," Elphaba smirked and Nessa hung her head.

Ollivander and Fiyero laughed.

"How did you and your teacher figure out the balance between you and Miss Glinda?" Boq asked as they headed off-campus.

"As strange as it sounds... she told us to go into separate rooms and pick a memory, and we were to come back together and say it at the same time," Elphaba spoke as she was pulled back to Fiyero's side. "Now, it could have been anything at all, from childhood to anything quite as recent as our friendship."

"And we both chose last Autumn's dance at the Ozdust." Glinda put in. "We had to explain why we picked it."

Elphaba nodded. "And, as you know, that was the night we became friends. Although in fairness, for Glinda it could have also been the night this idiot showed up," she smirked, squirming against his side as he jabbed her. "Somehow, knowing that made it easier for her to plan what to do with us, and her methods worked. I came away with no injuries tonight."

Boq looked confused up at Glinda. "So, you feed off Miss Elphie's chaotic energy and she feeds off your calm energy?"

Glinda nodded. "Something like that... Ooh! Speaking of dances-"

"No!"

"Elphie!"

Fiyero laughed again, gently rubbing her arm. "Come on, Fae, it'll be fun this time."

"Funny, that's what she said last time. As I remember, it was a prank."

"A prank that gave you your best friend. What's the problem?" He grinned as she elbowed him, he jabbed her side in return.

"Oh, please, Elphie. It would mark a year since we became friends! Ooh! And a year since Fiyero showed up!"

He paused for a moment before nodding. "Yeah, it would be... Hah!" he grinned again.

Elphaba groaned. "Fine... Only if it would shut you both up."

Glinda squealed happily. "Great! Now, we only have three weeks until the Ozdust dance, oh, we have so much to do!" she giggled.

"I'm not dancing."

"If you say so," he smirked.

The group of friends made their way to the Dog in the Roses, and for once, dinner was back to normal, there was no tension among them as they were laughing and teasing one another as if the last two months of tension hadn't happened. Forgiveness was easy among friends.

They stepped out into the chilly October air a few hours later, and Elphaba cursed herself for forgetting to pick up her jacket from her earlier sorcery class, leaving her in her thin uniform.

"Here," Fiyero slipped off his coat and put it around her shoulders. "Fae, it's okay, I can manage without it." He smiled.

"But...- oh, fine," she smiled at the warmth enveloping her thin frame, and she put the coat on properly, slipping her hand into his waiting one, and she pointedly ignored squealing from Glinda who found the action to be '_the most adorablest, romantic thing in all of O_z.' before she was pulled along the street by Ollivander before Elphaba could smack her. "One day I'm going to murder that bubble witch in her sleep." she smirked.

He laughed and kissed her temple. "No, you won't."

She scoffed. "Wanna bet?" she commented and looked behind her at Nessa. "Nessa, are you coming?"

Nessa blinked, looking up at her sister and Fiyero and then back at the spot she'd been staring at, a darkening alleyway across the street. "Did you see that?"

"See what?"

"There was somebody over there," Nessa pointed. "They were dressed all in black and I couldn't see their face... They looked like they were watching us."

A chill ran up and down Elphaba's spine as Fiyero held her hand tighter. "No, I didn't... Come on, we should get back." The three of them caught up with the other half of their group.

"How can you be sure they were looking at us?" Glinda asked as the six of them huddled close together, almost circled around Nessa's chair.

"I don't know... Just a feeling I got."

The figure hid herself away in the darkness, her dark brown eyes following the friends until they were out of sight, and she left the scene with a heavy heart.

"What are your plans for today, Elphie?" Glinda asked the following morning as she and her roommate got ready for the day.

Elphaba shrugged. "I was thinking of going into town to see what books I could buy... And try and get an idea of what to get for Fiyero's birthday." She spoke.

"Ooh, that'll be nice!"

"Also my aunt wrote to me and agreed to meet me not far from school."

"You're not going alone? Elphie you've only been writing for two weeks."

"And why not? I'm a big girl, Glinda, I don't need anyone to hold my hand."

"But... But she's a stranger! What if something happens to you?! You said it yourself after you got that note, we need to be careful... And with Nessa saying she felt like we were being watched..."

"Glinda you're fretting about what-ifs. I'll be alright. Besides, most people run away from the green girl, not try to actively abduct her." She raised an eyebrow as she pinned her dark hair into a bun on the back of her head.

"Why won't Fiyero go with you?"

"Two reasons. One, it makes it difficult to get a present for him with him actually there. Two, I haven't told him. He knows I'm going to the bookstore and he'd rather stay here."

"But..."

"I'll be fine. I promise. Now, can you button the back of this dress please?"

Glinda pouted and slid off her bed, crossing the room and fastened the buttons of her friend's black dress. "What's her name again?"

"Kasmina Hertland... I'm assuming she married or she changed her name to avoid her family name being recognised." she looked at her friend. "Aren't you going to be late for your friends?"

The blonde looked at the clock and gasped. "Oh, Oz I am!" she flew around the room like a pink hurricane, finishing getting herself ready and grabbed her purse. "Be careful, okay?" she kissed her cheek and fled the room.

Elphaba shook her head with a laugh, observing the mess her friend left behind, and without sparing a glance in the mirror, she slipped on Fiyero's coat and slung her bag on her shoulder and headed out to the canteen for breakfast. She sat down beside Boq and Ollivander with her pancakes. "Boq, you look like someone's just told you Fairy Lurline doesn't exist!" she smirked. "What's wrong?"

"He's still moping," Ollivander interjected.

"I'm not moping!" Boq huffed, stabbing scrambled eggs with his fork.

"No, you're just murdering those poor eggs." the green girl said sarcastically.

Ollivander rolled his eyes at his friend. "Are you going to the book fayre today?"

"I didn't know it was on..." She admitted. "But I was going into town soon anyway."

He nodded. "Yeah, it's in the town square. I was thinking it might have some of the books we need for class."

Her eyes lit up and she nodded with a smile. "Sounds like a good idea. Boq, do you want to come?"

Boq shook his head. "I'd better not... It would leave Fiyero with Nessa."

"That's sweet of you to worry, Boq, but I think he can handle himself with my sister." She smirked. "Besides, it's Saturday. He'll sleep in until at least noon."

He nodded, conceding her point. "Alright, I'll join you."

"It'll do you good to get out. Stuck in Nessarose's shadow isn't good for anyone." Ollivander told him, chuckling when Elphaba nudged him with a smile of her own.

"Oh, I have to meet somebody at the Horseshoe Café at lunchtime."

"Who? And why?"

"A few weeks ago my mother's sister was found, and we started writing to each other two weeks ago, anyway, last week she asked to meet me. So I was thinking, while you two wander around town I could go and meet her."

"Elphie, you can't simply go alone?" Boq's eyes were wide. "What if something goes wrong? Or your father finds out?"

"Are you sure she isn't responsible for that note?"

Elphaba shrugged. "Then let him. That man can't hurt me anymore. He's disowned me, so it's not like he can pull me out of school and lock me away as a prisoner. I'm not his problem. And yes, I'm quite sure, the handwriting is completely different." She looked between them both. "Look, it's a public place. Even if I wasn't green and repulsive, it's the safest way to meet her. Would you rather I brought her to the school itself?" she stood up after she finished her food. "So, are you still coming or not? And the first of you two to mention Fiyero gets castrated. I don't answer to him, nor do I need his permission."

They both paled and nodded, knowing she would carry out her threat.

"Understood." Ollivander choked out.

"Good!" she grinned and they left, getting into a carriage and headed into Shiz town.

The trio happily spent the morning perusing the books that the book fayre had to offer. Boq found several books on agriculture and businesses surrounding it. Elphaba and Ollivander found several books from their Literature reading list, the green girl adding a few extras to her pile, mainly history, law and political books, including one on Vinkun history.

The three friends were laughing and joking amongst each other as they eventually ventured off to the other stores.

"Oh... I need to figure out what to get Fiyero for his birthday..." Elphaba said thoughtfully after a while.

"When is it?" Ollivander asked.

"December nineteenth." She answered, and looked at Boq's wide-eyed expression. "What?"

"You barely even remember mine, how do you know that?"

"He told me once. And it's three weeks after Glinda's. And I do so know yours. It's April-"

"_March!_"

She grinned sheepishly. "So I got the month wrong."

He grumbled a response, to which she shook her head.

"Oh, be quiet and help me find something. You're a boy, what do I get?"

Ollivander laughed. "You're asking _him_?"

"_You _help me then."

"Elphie, you've got a few weeks yet, we're just barely in October... Besides, it's close enough that you could even consider Lurlinemas shopping too!" Boq complained. "Come on, let's go eat."

She nodded. "I suppose you're right. Oh, I have to get going! I'll be late."

"Do you want us to take your books?" Ollivander asked.

"No, thank you, I'll be alright," she smiled and walked off towards the Horseshoe Café, unaware that the figure from the night before had returned and had been following her. The green girl steeled herself and walked further inside, stopping at the familiar face, only she hadn't met the woman, sat at the table before her. "Kasmina?"

The copper-haired woman looked up to face her, recognising her instantly, and she stood up. _'Good God, even green as grass, she looks like her!'_ she thought. "Oh, Elphaba." she smiled, her eyes widening in shock as she took more of the green girl in. Yes, the green was as much of a shock as it had been the day she'd been born, but it was the likeness to her long-dead sister that stunned her more. "I'm sorry... I hadn't realised you were so..."

"Green?" Elphaba supplied, assuming the end of her sentence. "It's fine, most people don't, I'm used to it by now."

She stepped forward and held out her hand for her, which Elphaba shook and they both sat down. "Lurline, it's like I'm looking at my baby sister again and she'd playing dress-up," she spoke softly, without thinking.

Elphaba bit her lip at the comment, unsure whether to be insulted or not.

The other woman, to her credit, seemed to realise her error. "Oh! I'm sorry, it wasn't meant to offend! Oz, I say things and I don't realise until it's too late... My husband is forever telling me about that..."

And like that, the tension was broken as Elphaba laughed. "I do that too..." she nodded. "It's normally Glinda, my best friend, who tells me off and it's my boyfriend who encourages it, I think he finds it funny... Until it's directed at him that is."

Kasmina noticed the bag of books on the floor at the young woman's feet. "Buy anything interesting?"

"Just some books for school." Elphaba smiled a little.

A waitress came over to take their orders; Kasmina ordering herself a coffee, Elphaba went for the hot chocolate.

"I want to thank you for meeting me, Elphaba. It can't have been an easy decision to make... and I'm only sorry it's taken so long."

Elphaba shrugged, still feeling a little uneasy despite the lack of tension. "I guess it can't be helped... My father is not the easiest man to reason with."

"No, he's not," Kasmina agreed, deciding against correcting the girl on her parentage, it was not the time nor the place. "I'm glad you're out of there, though. I know that the cottage won't make up for the times I could have been there for you-"

"You don't have to..." Elphaba shook her head. "I'd have found somewhere eventually..."

"I'm sure you would have," she smiled at her niece as their drinks were brought to them. "You've got your mother's spirit, I don't doubt for a minute that you would have," she added.

"Thank you for offering it, though." Elphaba gave another reluctant smile. It had been hard for her to accept help, but she was not stupid enough to mock it when it presented itself.

"You're welcome, Elphaba," Kasmina nodded. "Now, tell me about yourself, what are you studying?"

A genuine smile graced the green girl's face as her entire being lit up, and she told her about school and the classes she'd been taking. She talked about her sister and her friends.

Ollivander risked a peek through the café window and grinned at the sight of his friend talking so animatedly, before jogging back to Boq. "She's fine."

"Good." The munchkin grinned with relief and they both headed off to get something to eat, walking right past the figure hidden in the shadows.

Kasmina smiled as she saw the girl light up, the same thought over and over in her mind; if this girl wasn't green, she could swear that it was her sister back from the dead, or the very least, reincarnated in her daughter. She missed Melena so much that her heart hurt. She was glad that her soul and her spirit lived on in her daughter. "So, you mentioned a boyfriend." her hazel eyes flashed teasingly as the young woman suddenly turned coy and her smile became shy.

"I did?"

"Mhm, and I do hope he's treating you well."

Elphaba blushed a darker green and she nodded, refusing to reveal his name. "He is... Oz, he does... And I don't know what I did to deserve him."

"I'm sure he's supposed to be the lucky one," she smiled.

"He tells me he is. I don't see it myself, but who am I to argue."

Kasmina nodded and didn't question it, putting it down to the usual insecurities of a young adult just outgrowing adolescence.

"Can we talk about you, now?"

"Of course," she smiled. "Being the first-born, I was meant to take up Eminence after our grandparents passed, however, things didn't quite go to plan." She started. "I met Jandel when I was twenty, and your mother loved him, she approved right away, and she couldn't have been happier for me. It was our grandparents who disapproved; because he was what they considered lower in status. Which was true, he was a mere carpenter and below social status... They tried to force me into choosing between family and him, naturally, I chose him. I gave up Eminence for him, gave up all of my teachings and training, and that all passed down to Melena at sixteen. She was the favoured granddaughter, after all," the smile on her face, the tone of her voice held no bitterness, only love and affection for the memory of the dead.

Elphaba's eyes were wide as she listened to the story. Having no memory of her grandparents, she couldn't form the correct picture in her mind of them.

"I continued to stay with him and to guide Melena through the teachings that were once bestowed upon me, which seemed to please the family. But I didn't do it for them, I did it all for her for two years." she continued her story. "Eventually Jandel and I ran away to marry, your mother was our only witness, and we left for the Quadling Country while Melena returned home. She wrote to me endlessly, and eventually, her letters grew sadder. She begged me to return home a year or so later, so unhappy with the recent arrangement... I thought it was Melena huffing at the changes. It was Wenna's final letter that convinced me. I left Jandel holding the home together to return back to Munchkinland. Upon my return, I learned that it was our grandfather's doing, the arrangement between the over-zealous preacher and my baby sister."

The green girl looked up at the first sign of bitterness in her tone. "Why?"

"He was to try and tame her wild spirit. And she loved him enough to try and change, only she couldn't, and she was unhappy. I pleaded with her. Mother did. Morwenna told her countless times... our grandmother did. We all begged her to leave him, but she wouldn't. She'd do anything to make the old fool happy!" she scoffed. "The only thing left was to encourage her to 'keep her options open' as it were... And then you came along, and I found that I was banished from the family home- the home I grew up in with my sister. Frex told me cruelly on the doorstep on that unusually stormy evening in June that you'd died. Morwenna wrote to me later with the truth, and I enlisted her help to try and get you both out of that place."

Elphaba remained quiet for the rest of the story, a silent snort of derision leaving her at the revelation of her mother's affairs, and she attempted to process the information given to her.

"At last, it wasn't to be... Melena and I kept in touch secretly until she died. I moved to Quox just before it happened, and I trained as a nurse. I've worked in the same hospital I did my training in for the last eighteen years. I could never have children of my own so we've taken in orphaned children over the years."

"I'm sorry..."

The auburn-haired woman smiled. "It's quite alright. I made my peace with it years ago. Enjoy being young and happy, Elphaba. Do not let this rotten world turn you into a bitter old maid. If you're unhappy, find a way to change it, don't, I beg of you, don't make your mother's mistakes."

"I..." she started and trailed off, unable to think of what to say. "Alright, I won't..."

Talk then turned to lighter topics, and Elphaba finally revealed Fiyero's name to her after much teasing and cajoling.

"We don't get much news from other parts of Oz in Quox, but I do know that name, and the reputation preceding him." Kasmina raised an eyebrow. "And judging by how you speak of him, he's nothing at all how he's portrayed."

"Oh, no, he is a hopeless flirt, and some of it is true, he's a lot more... experienced with women than most. Most of it was acting out though."

"And you're alright with this?"

Elphaba shrugged. If she was completely honest with herself, she was not, but there was nothing she could do to change it now. "Regardless of if I am or not, I can hardly change the past, can I? But he _is _changing his old ways. It's very odd knowing how he used to be and then see him looking at me like I'm the only girl for miles." she smiled and shook her head. "I know he loves me. I know he'd never do anything to hurt me, and that's all I need to know."

Kasmina nodded again, this time smiling. "Alright, as long as you're happy."

"I am," Elphaba nodded. "Anyway, I should be getting back, I'm surprised my friends haven't-" she was cut off when the cafe door opened with a yell of "Elphie!" from Boq, causing her to sigh and smirk to herself. "There they are..." she turned in her seat. "Have you grown and become a blonde woman?"

Boq paused, thinking about what she'd meant and Ollivander laughed. Then the jab clicked in his head. "There's only one Miss Glinda."

"And trust me when I say that's enough," Elphaba commented dryly and she stood up.

"I'd like to keep writing to you, Elphaba. Take care of yourself." Kasmina smiled.

"I'd like that too. Goodbye." Elphaba waved at her and was lead out by her friends, book bag in tow.

A few hours later, Elphaba and Fiyero were walking along the canal, hands entwined together as they walked.

"Did you find what you were looking for?"

She nodded, smiling. "I did. I got a few history books too."

He chuckled softly. "For someone who no longer takes history you read an awful lot of it." he teased.

"What can I say, it interests me. I got a few other books too." she grinned. "Actually, there's something I need to tell you."

"What is it?"

"Do you remember me telling you about the letter Morwenna sent me?"

"When you asked how the papers saw us?" he looked as she nodded. "What about it?"

She shrugged. "In that letter, she also said that my mother's sister had been found, and we've been writing for a couple of weeks. She asked to meet me."

"Okay." he nodded, confused as to why she was telling him, as though expecting him to lecture her.

"That's what else happened today. We met in a cafe in town."

"Oh," he blinked. "How did it go?"

"Fiyero, she looks just like my mother, it's almost scary." she laughed a little. "We talked, I told her everything that's happening here, and she told me a bit of the past, and she's given me a place to stay when I need it, a small cottage near to where she lives. We're going to keep writing to each other." she smiled.

He grinned and kissed her head, raising their linked hands and spun her around to make her laugh. "I'm glad you've found her, Fae. At least not everyone in your family is lost to you. I'm happy for you."

She smiled up at him after her laughter died down and she nodded. "I'm glad too... I'm hoping she can tell me more about my mother too. I get the impression they were close when they were younger."

"How so?"

"Her first comment to me was that I looked like my mother, only she was playing dress-up."

He laughed. "That's definitely new."

She giggled. "It certainly is."

He grinned and listened as she told him more about her meeting.

"I want her to meet you one day," she told him once she'd finished her tale.

He grinned again and kissed her. "And we'll make it happen, Fae. One day, we will," he promised. He eventually walked her back to Crage Hall long after sunset and the stars appeared. "Keep it," he told her when she made to give him back his coat.

She smiled and kissed him goodnight before she headed inside to her dorm.


	4. Chapter 4

**Sadness and Secrets**

The afternoon of the Autumn dance soon flew upon the students of Shiz, and the halls were buzzing with the excitement of the young adults. The teachers continued to teach their classes, knowing that their students were hardly paying attention, but hoped that a small amount of knowledge managed to infiltrate their distracted minds.

Elphaba sat writing her notes in her Politics class, resisting the urge to roll her eyes and and snap at the silly little gossips around her all talking about the dance and their outfits, concentrating on the voice of the teacher and the feel of Fiyero's hand on her knee, attempting to keep her calm as he too wrote up his own notes. So far his attempts were working.

It wasn't long before the bell went and the students were hurriedly packing away their books and darted out of the door, barely hearing the teacher tell them that they had a week to complete their essay.

"I don't suppose there's any chance of me whisking you to my dorm and conveniently forgetting about this?"

"None whatsoever, my love," Elphaba smirked up at him as she slung her bag on her shoulder. "And no more lines about me coming to your room to help you either. Because we both know that's not going to happen."

He pouted and she laughed. "Come on, Fae, you know nothing would happen that you didn't want."

"Oh, now you're pushing your luck," she smirked, walking ahead of him, almost walking into another student in her attempt to get away from him.

"Watch it, you green freak!"

"My apologies, I didn't see you there under my foot." she drawled.

He growled and grabbed her arm roughly.

"Let her go!" Fiyero barked in a harsh tone, glaring at him and ready to pull him away from her at the first opportunity.

The other male glared at them both and shoved, Elphaba back. "Watch yourself, greenie. One day you won't get so lucky." he snarled and walked away.

"Oh, please! You could barely hold your nerve with me!" she scowled after him, gently tugging on Fiyero's sleeve before he could chase after him. "Fiyero, I'm okay. I've had worse, remember."

The Arjiki glared after the other male for a moment longer before allowing his girlfriend to pull him down the corridor. "I could have had him."

"Mhm, and so could I." she reminded him, part of her a little annoyed that he stood in for her, and the other part of her warmed to the action.

He caught himself and sighed. "Fae, I-"

She allowed a smile. "I know. And thank you, but sometimes, I don't need my battles fighting for me, especially when I can take on idiots like that by myself." she kissed his cheek.

"I know. I just can't help it though. I hate hearing things like that about you," he told her. "You might be used to it, but I'm not, and I never want to be."

She nodded. "Understood." she cuddled against his side when he put his arm around her as they left the building, she involuntarily shivered as the cold air hit her.

They crossed the lawns and eventually found themselves walking along the canal side once more.

"I'm sure every time we come here, more leaves have fallen." Elphaba smiled, kicking up bunches of dried red and orange leaves with the toe of her boot. "There's something beautiful in the changes in the seasons..."

He nodded. "Like the shift in the temperatures and the colours of new plant life or the colours of the dying plants," he said thoughtfully. "I used to paint when I was younger."

"Really?" she looked curious. "What made you stop?"

"Yeah, I was pretty good at it too. Spring and Autumn in the Vinkus were my favourites to do." he shrugged. "I dunno... I just... stopped one day and never picked it back up."

She lay her head on his shoulder. "I've never been good at things like that. I'm better at reading and writing than art of any form."

"You mean you're _not _good at everything?" he smirked.

"I taught myself that, but never got the chance to do much else." she shrugged.

"Who are you and what have you done with Elphaba?" he teased, lightly tickling her sides.

"No!" she moaned with a laugh and wriggled to get away from him. "Stop that!"

He laughed and let his hand fall to his side. "Alright, fine."

"Do I really have to go to this dance tonight?" she pouted.

"You know you'll never hear the end of it from Glinda." he kissed her head. "How about this; show your face for an hour, and if you still want to leave, I'll get you out," he suggested, pulling them both to a stop, leaning against a tree.

She nodded. "Okay." She looked up at him. "Yero?"

"Yeah?"

"I love you." she smiled.

He grinned and knew he would never tire of hearing those words leave her mouth, however rare it was to hear them. "I love you too." He put his arms around her waist and kissed her.

She closed her eyes and rested her hands on his shoulders, sighing softly as she allowed him to deepen the kiss which was making her temperature rise, an effect that she always seemed to have in these moments.

He reluctantly pulled away from her lips and dipped his head to her neck and kissed the newly discovered sensitive spot behind her left ear, smirking against the delicate green skin when he heard her breath catch in her throat.

She held herself closer, ducking her head to the crook of his neck, softly pressing feather-light kisses of her own to his skin, a smirk of her own when she heard his sharp intake of breath and felt his arms tighten around her, he clearly hadn't been expecting it. "I've told you before... two can play this game." she murmured lowly.

He smirked again, his breath was hot on her ear as he whispered back; "And one of these days, I sincerely hope so."

She shuddered again, and this time not because of the cold. "You shouldn't promise such things."

"Elphaba, I can and I will." He matched her gaze, and was, as he always was, amazed by the love and safety he found in her dark pools, which were also clouded by a look he knew all too well from other girls - lust and excitement and it sent a thrill up and down his spine knowing he had caused it. Nobody else would ever have the pleasure of seeing her this way, he'd make sure of it.

She bit her lip and her hands found their way into his hair, distracting herself from the very physical reminder of their actions that was nudging at her thigh.

"Beautiful," he whispered with a grin.

She shook her head slightly and kissed him once more, only briefly. "We'd better get back before Glinda sends out a search party."

He groaned out loud at that and rested his forehead against hers. "Why did you have to ruin the moment with that?"

She giggled. "I'm sorry, my love."

He shook his head. "Non vous n'êtes pas."

"Awh, will someone be needing a cold shower before the dance?" she teased and cackled when she was ignored. "You started it." And one day she intended to finish it, but she didn't say it. She continued her teasing and jabbing until they got back to Crage Hall, and she left him outside without a kiss goodbye.

"You're not being fair, Miss Fae!" he huffed when all he got was another cackling laugh in response, and he sulked away back to his own dorm.

"Elphie! _Where _have you been?! And why do you look all flustered?!" Glinda jumped up as she finished putting the last roller in her hair when Elphaba sauntered in. "Oh, never mind, come on! We need to get ready!"

"Glinda, must I, really?" Elphaba rolled her eyes, thankful to have been temporarily spared from explaining herself to her best friend.

"Yes! I promised you I'd make you popular!"

"And I am! Just... ninety-eight per cent of the _un_popular kind," she smirked.

Glinda blinked and shook her head. "Oh, instead of confusifying me with sarcasm, pick out your dress."

"Fine." she rolled her eyes again and walked to her closet, deliberately picking out her old blue, very worn frock she'd worn the previous year, looking at her friend with a serious expression for a moment before she burst into laughter at the blonde's glare. "Alright, fine! But I'm taking the hat!" she put it away and picked out her favourite long-sleeved purple one.

Glinda shook her head in dismay, hoping her friend was joking. She grabbed the green girl by the wrist and pulled her to the vanity table and sat her down, starting on her hair. She sectioned pieces from the side of her head and braided them until they met at the back of her head to become one long braid down her back. Ten minutes of careful pinning and arranging later she started to apply a little makeup to her friend's face. "Oh, and don't think you're getting out of not telling me what happened before you got back."

Elphaba shrugged, keeping her expression neutral. "Nothing happened. We got distracted by walking by the lake."

"Distracted how?" Glinda finished applying a light coat of mascara before starting on her own makeup.

"Talking." she stood up and crossed the room to change her clothes.

Glinda scoffed, not believing her. "Elphie, you both talk all the time "

The other girl wisely kept her mouth shut and quickly changed her dress.

There were a silent few minutes before Glinda gasped and whirled around to face her. "Elphaba Thropp! Did you two get carried away?!"

"Don't be so ridiculous! Nothing like that happened!"

"You're blushing!" she walked over to her.

"Nothing happened."

"But you wanted it to?" her friend's blush deepened. "Elphie, are you sure?" She stared at her with concern.

She shrugged. "I... I think so," she admitted. "Glinda I'm scared."

The blonde's gaze softened and she hugged her. "Oh, Elphie, what of?"

"Nothing... Everything... I have no idea what I'm doing or how to _be..._ Yero, he's never pressured me into anything... he's been so patient and so loving and caring and... what if I'm not good enough? We all know I have no experience with this at all..."

"You are good enough. You will be good enough for him. Experience is not everything, Elphie, and of course you're scared... What you're thinking about, it's a big step, and it's going to change everything."

"But that's-"

Pale hands cupped green cheeks softly. "I know. But sometimes change can be good. Elphie, this change _will _be for good, for both of you. But only make that choice when you know you absolutely want it, when you're both ready for that, not because you think it would make him happy. Oz, he would never forgive himself if he thought he forced you into making an unwanted decision."

"How do you-?"

Glinda gave her a sad smile. "I made the wrong choice."

"What do you mean?"

She shook her head. "It doesn't matter. He doesn't deserve my tears and he doesn't deserve the acknowledgement." she dropped her hands and walked away from her to take the rollers out of her hair.

Elphaba watched as her friend busied herself and she shook her head. She couldn't believe that the ever-popular Glinda had ever had a bad relationship. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to..."

"It's alright. You know I'm more than happy to give you advice."

"But if it's brought up bad memories -"

"Nothing happened that I didn't want at the time. I just... chose the wrong man to do it with. He's nothing to me now." Glinda picked up her purse as Elphaba grabbed her own bag with a book hidden inside it, but the blonde was in no mood to argue now. "Come on, the boys will be waiting."

Elphaba nodded and walked out with her, forgetting about her hat. She watched in awe as her friend changed her entire demeanour from sad to enthusiastic in the seconds it took them to descend the staircase and greeted her boyfriend happily.

"You're thinking."

She blinked up at Fiyero and nodded with a smile on her face. "I know, but it's not important right now." she kissed him.

"The offer to ditch after an hour is still there if you want it," he told her quietly.

"I'll see how Glinda is." She walked with him as he gave her a quizzical look. "Oh, girl stuff," she added vaguely.

He shook his head at that, deciding not to get involved with it. "You look beautiful." he grinned. "Tonight is about having fun and being together."

She blushed and smiled. "I wish you'd stop..."

"Never."

She ducked her head against his shoulder, embarrassed. "Fiyero..."

He laughed at her whining. "You're going to have to deal with it." He told her and held her close, noticing that Boq and Nessa were ahead of them, and the couple didn't seem to share the same enthusiasm.

"If he chooses tonight of all nights to break up with her, I'll wring his sorry neck."

He winced at her threat. "One year anniversary." He remembered and shook his head. "Hopefully he'll have remembered."

"Well, he hasn't so far, at least Nessa hasn't said so. She's certainly not acting happy. Oh, I know she's been a rotten old witch and we've both been telling him to deal with it, but to leave it until tonight?"

"We don't know that yet." he pointed out. "Come on, I believe you owe me a dance, and that debt it twelve months overdue," he smirked.

She shoved him with a laugh. "I don't remember that."

He nodded, his blue eyes impossibly wide and imploring. "Yup, you did! I told you I'd get a dance with you by the end of the night and you said 'we'll see'."

"And that counts as a promise?" she smirked.

"Yes."

She laughed again. "Alright, fine. If you say so. Good luck."

He grinned and the friends made their way along with the crowds of students to the Ozdust Ballroom. The room was decorated in oranges and blacks and purples, lights were flashing and swirling sending sparkles scattering around the room from the glitter ball hanging from the centre of the ceiling. The music loud and upbeat and there were already people dancing with their friends.

Instinctively Elphaba shrank against Fiyero's side when she recognised one of the male students glaring at her.

"He wouldn't dare try anything, not right now and not while I'm here." he murmured in her ear.

Suddenly that seemed to give her the confidence she needed and she stood taller, her head held high. "You're right. Why should I let him intimidate me?"

He grinned with pride, his eyes twinkling adoringly at her. "That's more like it."

"Come on, Elphie!" Glinda grabbed her hand and dragged her to the middle of the room, the green girl sneered as people scattered out of their way, but it didn't take the two friends long to start enjoying themselves.

Nessa remained outside, claiming to need a moment before she went inside. When she was sure her friends were inside the ballroom she wheeled over to the closed florist where the same hooded figure she had seen frequently was hiding. "You! Why are you following us?!"

"I'm not sure I understand what you mean." came the feminine reply, she wouldn't come from the shadows.

_So it's a woman_. She thought. "Yes you do, you've been wherever my friends and I have been for weeks! You're watching and you're following us, why?"

The cloaked woman stammered, unable to give a response that would not land anyone into trouble. "I-I'm sorry." She said finally and fled quickly, leaving a dumbfounded Nessa behind. Once out of sight, the woman was pulled aside.

"I told you this was too risky, Ochre!"

"They're just children! If I can stop them from making the biggest mistake by joining the Wizard-"

"You heard what that old bat Yackle said!" the male spoke harshly. "They have a destiny to fulfil. All four of them. I don't know what your connection is to a bunch of university students, but this has to stop. You can't prevent what is meant to happen, Ochre. You are going to ruin the whole plan if you-"

"To hell with the Resistance! If I can stop anything happening to m- those kids then I will!" Ochre yanked her arm away and walked away from her comrade. She didn't care if her cover had almost been blown, she had been so close... She shook her head. No. She couldn't reveal her true intentions, not while it was still too dangerous.

Back in the ballroom, Nessa had rejoined her friends and she took the glass of punch that had been handed to her. She took a small, tentative sip of the sweet beverage. "What's in this?"

Fiyero shrugged. "No idea but I wouldn't drink too much of it if I were you."

"Why not?"

He smirked. Oh, she was too innocent. "Because someone's already spiked it with alcohol," he told her.

"Oh, my!"

He turned his back to her at the exclamation to hide his laughter, easy to do given the volume of the music, and he looked over at Glinda still dancing with Elphaba and watched them make each other laugh.

"It's crazy to think a year ago, that was you out there with Miss Glinda."

He nodded at Boq's comment. "I know. A lot has changed in a year." he looked over at his friend in time to see Nessa moving away from them. "If you're going to do what I think you're going to do, at least wait until tomorrow?" he suggested.

"How do I do it?" Boq looked stricken. "The last thing I want to do is hurt her, but either way it's going to happen!"

Fiyero covered a scoff as he drank. He really was the wrong person to ask. "Just be honest. Take it from someone who knows about lying his way out of trouble. Someone who's had his fair share of drinks thrown over him and been slapped and kicked in his valuables." Both of them flinched. "Tell the truth about why you want to end things." He downed the rest of his drink and left his friend to think things over, heading over relieve Glinda of her increasingly unwilling dance partner, planting a firm kiss on the green girl's ruby lips to silence her protesting.

" Mm, you really have to stop doing that." She grumbled after she broke the kiss.

"Are you sure you want me to?" he smirked.

"Oz, no!" she kissed him again and he laughed.

"How much of this have you had?" He teased, rolling his eyes when she held up one green finger. "I'm sure you know already then that it's been laced with alcohol."

"I know, I'll go easy. My behaviour is not because of my low tolerance for it." She smiled and he began to dance with her and she put her arms around his neck. "What were you and Boq talking about?"

He grinned, satisfied with her answer as he held her close to him, his hands around her waist. "About not following my lead when it comes to ending a relationship."

She grimaced. "So he really will do it?" She wasn't surprised, given her sister's behaviour over the last few months, but that didn't stop her from feeling bad for them both.

"It's looking likely," he nodded. "But I think I've managed to convince him to give her tonight... He might just avoid her or go back to his room to avoid doing it so publicly."

She scoffed. "Cause that'll go down well."

"Well, he's got to do it at some point, and we're both in agreement that it shouldn't be tonight, so when is he supposed to do it?" He smirked, getting a shrug in response.

As the night wore on, the friends drank and laughed together and danced until their feet grew tired and they grew more intoxicated, and eventually they made the decision to go home to their beds. Boq had managed to avoid Nessa for the rest of the night, leaving early, Nessa hadn't been too far behind him.

"Come on, you." Fiyero hauled Elphaba to her feet from a chair, just about keeping his own balance as she fell into him with a laugh, while Ollivander propped Glinda against him. The boys grabbed their girlfriends' bags and they left the Ozdust Ballroom. The girls stumbled in the street and they laughed together, almost bumping into a woman walking by.

"Oops, sorry!" Glinda giggled.

"It's alright," the woman fixed her hood before her face could be revealed. "I hope you've had a good evening." She hurried by.

The voice twitched Elphaba's subconscious, but her alcohol fogged brain failed to make a connection, and she reached out for her best friend once more. "Lin, I want to go home."

"We're going, Fae," Fiyero answered as the cab pulled up in front of the four of them and they get into it.

"Wait, where's Nessa?" Her words were slurred.

"She went home an hour ago," Ollivander told her.

"I told you to watch your limit, Fae," Fiyero chided gently with a brush of her hair. He'd be amazed if they completed the journey, never mind got up the stairs to her room without her vomiting. "You're gonna have one hell of a hangover in the morning."

She gave no comment to that, thinking it wise to concentrate on her breathing, trying to hold off the urge to be sick, and the ride back to the university seemed bumpier than she remembered, making her task more difficult.

Ollivander cursed himself for getting the most unstable cart in Oz, and it looked like Glinda was about to fail in her own attempts. "Lurline, tell me we're there," he muttered.

A short time later, the driver announced their arrival outside Crage Hall and the Gillikin male paid the man before he and Fiyero ushered the girls out quickly. As soon as their feet touched the grass, they both doubled over, bringing up the contents of their stomachs. They were then carried up to their dorm room, the males ignoring the glares from the guard at the entrance to the dormitories. With the girls asleep by the time they were put to bed, the boys left quickly.

Glinda had made her way into Elphaba's bed by morning, curled around her friend like a koala bear.

Elphaba woke but kept her eyes closed, silently thankful they had thought to close the curtains before they left the night before, and she was willing the Munchkins in her head to stop using her skull as a personal Tamborine. She no longer felt sick but she knew her headache wasn't going anywhere any time soon. "How did we get back here?"

"Maybe Lurline got us back here..." Glinda muttered.

"Lin, Lurline doesn't-"

"Shh... Elphie... Too loud..."

The green girl merely shrugged and quickly fell back to sleep. When she awoke hours later, Glinda was still curled up with her and she could hear rainfall against her window, and she felt a hand brushing at her hair gently. She slowly opened her eyes, seeing Fiyero's teasing gaze on her. "What?" She grumbled.

"Nothing." He smirked. "How's the head?"

"Feels like the Lollipop Guild is dancing in my head."

"What?"

"It's a Munchkin thing, Fifi." Glinda huffed from her place behind her friend. "Now can you please stop talking."

He nodded, chuckling softly. "Alright," he stayed with them, tending to them through their hangovers for the rest of the afternoon, laughing at their grouching and dodging hands flying to smack him.

"If you put me through this again, I'm leaving you," Elphaba had threatened, but the effect was lost in her tone of voice and her pout.

He nodded. "If you say so, my love," he smirked.


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: my silent reader, the Lafayette to my Hamilton, this one's for you Western Sorserez

**Sadness and Secrets**

Ochre stood, glaring at the male in front of her, dark eyes filled with rage, her full lips pinched into a thin line as she listened to his tirade against her, how she was becoming a liability to the cause and could very well blow their cover if she wasn't careful. "They are _children _Demarkus! They've only just entered their twenties, but they're still children! Especially when it comes to the unforgiving, deceitful world of politics!" she snapped. "They will be used as pawns in a cruel game and you know it!" her pale sharp features turning pink with fury.

"You speak as if they don't understand what they're in for! Did you not read the papers in the summer?! They're more than aware! One of them is a witch!"

"Headstrong and foolish!"

"One of them is a Winkie Prince for Oz's sakes! The great Oz himself isn't likely to declare war on the Winkies by harming their crowned ruler! And that green bean... I mean, what is it with her? I'll bet she's the witch among them. She can't possibly be green everywhere. I'd like to see if-"

"Oh, give it a rest! She's old enough to be your daughter!" she looked sickened.

"If I had one." He smirked lecherously. "Just because you walked away from your family. You can't make up for it by helping them out of something you know can't be stopped."

She glared and slapped him, walking away wordlessly, ignoring him shouting after her.

_Elphaba found herself walking along the streets of the Emerald City, her arm linked with Fiyero's, and she could barely concentrate on the conversation he seemed to be having with her. He lead her inside a pub, accidentally knocking into a cloaked woman as he pushed open the door. He expressed his apologies as the hood fell away revealing the woman with tumbling, rich auburn hair and pale skin. Elphaba's eyes widened in recognition as the woman slipped away._

"Elphie!"

_She looked around, unable to see the person calling to her, and Fiyero didn't react._

"Elphie!"

The green girl's eyes flew open, she sat up in bed with a sharp gasp and her heart thumping wildly in her chest. She glanced up seeing Glinda watching her with a concerned look upon her face, and then return to her bed.

"You were fidgeting in your sleep... Did you see anything else?"

"I... I'm not sure..." she admitted, and she hated to admit that her visions were getting more frequent. "I think it was... I think something happens that makes my aunt follow us to the city..."

"What do you mean?"

"Fiyero and I... we look a bit older, maybe like... a couple of years? We were walking down a street, he was talking but I couldn't really tell what he was saying... And he was in a Gale Force uniform... I ... we got to this pub and all I can see from this perspective is the red hair and pale skin and we'd just knocked into her... The me in the vision appears to recognise her, and I can only guess it's my aunt because she's the only one with red hair and pale skin who can walk."

Glinda listened with a thoughtful expression on her face. "But why would she come to the city with you?"

Elphaba shrugged. "None of this makes sense."

"Ooh! Are you wearing a ring?"

"Glinda!" she scoffed, almost telling her that there had been a thin silver band on her finger, and quickly decided against it. "No, I'm not." she lied with a smile.

The blonde pouted. "You're right, it doesn't make sense."

Elphaba laughed and shook her head. "Whatever, Lin..." she kicked off her blanket and stood up, heading to the bathroom for a shower.

Glinda picked up a small bag from the floor, examining the nail polishes within, humming quietly to herself despite her headache. After five minutes she heard the door knocking frantically and she got up from her bed. "Alright, alright, I'm coming!" she threw on her pink fluffy dressing gown, grabbed Elphaba's thin blue one from her chair and she swiftly threw it inside; getting a "thank you!" in return before she went to the dormitory door and opened it. "Fiyero! What _are _you doing up here?"

"Hiding from Nessa." he winced.

Her eyes widened as if taking in his appearance for the first time. "What happened? Oz, you're bleeding! Get in here before somebody sees you." she dragged him inside and closed the door.

"Yeah..." he gingerly touched the cut on his chin and his cheek. "That would be because she knows that I know Boq wanted to break up with her, so she threw her shoes at me. For a half-Munchkin, she's got some surprising strength."

She giggled. "Don't let Elphie hear you say that." she smiled. "Stay here." She headed to the bathroom. "Elphie, I'm coming in."

"Glinda!" Elphaba screeched, hiding behind the shower curtain. "There is such a thing as personal space! Get out! And shut the door you're letting the cold air in!"

"Oh, hush, Elphie! You've got nothing I haven't seen on myself before, yours is just greener." Glinda rolled her eyes, grabbing the first-aid box from their bathroom cabinet.

Fiyero chuckled quietly at their bickering, for once not allowing himself to think too much on Glinda's comment on her friend.

"Get out! What in Oz do you need that for?!"

"Your sister took a good aim at your boyfriend with a pair of shoes."

"Hey!"

Elphaba let out a squeak at the additional voice, pulling the shower curtain closer around herself, her face burning with embarrassment. "I hate you," she growled.

"I love you too, Elphie!" she sing-songed and bounced out of the room closing the door behind her.

"You do realise I will pay for that little stunt later." She heard Fiyero tell her friend. "So will she!" she shouted.

Glinda waved her hand nonchalantly and pushed him into her chair. "Oh, she'll be fine." she started to clean up the cuts on his face and she patched them up. "There, all done."

"Thanks." he had to laugh and he stood up. "I'd better go wait outside so she can come out of the shower."

"And if you get asked why you're here?"

He shrugged. "I've waited out in the corridor for the two of you before." he grinned and left the room.

"Okay, Elphie he's gone outside," Glinda called.

Ten minutes later, the door swung open once more revealing a rather annoyed looking Elphaba, fully dressed, her still wet hair wrapped up in a towel on her head.

"I wasn't the guilty party. She dragged me inside." He held his hands up.

"Oh, don't worry, I'll get to her later." she sighed, her irritated expression melting, leaving behind a small smile. "You can come back in if you want to."

He nodded and followed her back inside. "If Glinda's worried, nobody saw me out there."

She gave him another slight smile. "Is that what she dragged you in here for? For propriety's sake?" she raised an eyebrow as she sat on her bed, drying her hair with her towel.

"Yup. I've had to remind her I've waited out there plenty of times for you both, I've even waited inside while you finished getting ready." he laughed.

She rolled her eyes and tied her still-damp hair into a ponytail and muttered a quick-drying spell. "Why did Nessa attack you?"

"I knew about the breakup. She found out."

"Ooh..." she winced. "I'm sorry."

He shrugged. "She doesn't know you know though, so don't worry about that." He sat beside her on the bed and leaned back against the headboard, wrapping an arm around her when she lay back with him. "It doesn't hurt now," he added when she gently touched the patched up markings on his face.

She nodded. "Still... she shouldn't have lashed out at you." she shook her head and decided to change the subject. "Have you started your Politics essay yet?" she questioned with a raised eyebrow, although she already knew the answer.

"Of course I have...not... I've been meaning to, but I keep getting distracted."

She scoffed loudly. "Distracted, indeed! By what?"

"You," he smirked and she slapped him on the chest.

"You're incorrigible."

"Beat me all you want, it's true."

"I'm sure you enjoy that more than you should." She rolled her eyes, her finger tracing a pattern on his side where she'd memorised the location of those curious, stunning blue diamonds.

"Well, now that you mention it..." he laughed when she dug her nail into his skin. "Je t'aime tout mon coeur."

She blushed and bit her lip, continuing to trace her patterns.

"Un jour tu les verras."

Her blush deepened and she buried her head into his shoulder. "Arrête ça," she spoke softly.

He laughed quietly and kissed her head. "Comme vous le souhaitez."

A short while later, Glinda emerged from the bathroom wrapped in her dressing gown after her own shower and she collapsed on her bed with a soft groan. '_Oz, I definitely feel like I'm coming down with something...' _she thought poutily.

"So what's the plan for today?" Fiyero looked between them both, deciding it best he didn't comment on how ill Glinda was starting to look. He wasn't _that_ stupid, thank you very much.

"Hiding in here so that I don't have to face Nessa?" Elphaba huffed. "Or... go to the library to start your essay that needs to be completed by Friday." She gave her beloved a pointed look.

"I vote to stay here," he answered almost immediately, earning an elbow to the side. "Think about it, if you leave the dorm, the chances of running into your sister greatly increase, which means you have to face her and answer questions you don't have the energy nor the patience to answer. She can't get to you up here."

"An uncalled-for jab at my sister," she smirked.

"But true." He grinned.

"You're a terrible liar anyway, Elphie." Glinda put in.

"Thanks. I love you too," she said sarcastically.

"Can't I just leave it until tomorrow?" he tightened his embrace.

"No." she tried not to laugh and tried even harder not to give in to him as she lightly poked his side. "Come on, move it."

He groaned and seemed not to notice her hesitation. "But I'm too comfortable."

She rolled her eyes and forced herself out of his arms and she got up off the bed. "Fiyero! Déplacez-le maintenant!"

"Fine." He pouted and got up, watching her grab a pile of books and put them in her bag. "My future wife is the brain of Oz."

"Arrête de dire ça!" she picked up her pillow and threw it at him, making him laugh.

"No, because it's true, you are."

"No, I'm not, because you haven't even asked me yet. And even if you had, I'd have rejected it." She put the bag on her shoulder.

"I know, I know. After graduation." he grinned. "But in my head I have, and I've already got the perfect proposal planned." He couldn't resist winding her up even if it was true.

"Ooh! What is it?" Glinda perked up.

Elphaba took that cue to shove him to the door. "Don't even think about it. And you, go and see the school nurse, you look horrendible."

Glinda pouted and said nothing in response, her best friend was probably right.

Fiyero laughed and dragged her out the door with him. "Fine. Be that way. But I'll not stop thinking about it."

"Oz please don't give yourself a headache."

He closed the door behind them and then kissed her lightly.

"No, you can't kiss me to make me forget about your essay." she shook her head and rolled her eyes. _Yes, he can, and it works. _The voice in her head piped up.

"I can try." He put his arm around her waist and left Crage Hall with her, avoiding Nessa as they walked, and they headed to the library building.

"No, you won't, not this time." She smirked at his questioning look. "I have a job to do in here, so I'll be checking up on you." she handed over her bag which held her notes, taking out a few of the books to take them back to the librarian. "Go on."

"You tricked me," he pouted, making her laugh and he watched her walk away. He walked off to find a table to sit at and make a start on his essay.

Elphaba walked to the desk where the librarian was seated.

"Ah, Miss Elphaba. I'm sure you're not due in today. Are you returning your books?" she smiled at her.

"I know, but it's the only way I can get Fiyero in here and actually work." Elphaba laughed with a nod and handed over the books.

The woman shook her head at her with another smile and a raised eyebrow. She quite enjoyed watching them tease each other and making each other laugh. "It'll backfire on you one of these days."

"Until then I'll keep doing it."

"You can make a start in the back room if you like. It is in a bit of chaos, I will warn you..."

"Thank you." Elphaba grinned and headed to the room in question, her dark eyes wide at the sight before her. "Chaos? Yeah, no kidding..." she muttered, wondering where to start first. It would take her a few long evenings for her to get it back into order, she was sure.

Half an hour later she heard a knock on the door, she looked up from a box she was currently rifling through. "Come in!"

Fiyero walked inside, looking around the room. "Did you have another episode?" he smirked.

"Very funny."

He laughed at the sarcastic tone. "What are you doing?"

"Finding my way through the mess." she smiled and deposited the box on the table beside her. "Is everything okay?"

He shrugged. "You got another note. I found it when I was looking through your essay notes." He held it out for her.

She slid off the table and walked over to him. "What does it say?" she took the piece of paper from him. She vaguely recognised it from the invitation she'd received from the Wizard all those months ago. _Somebody from the Palace is doing this... _She realised.

"Nowhere is safe, not even with the guards. I'll come for you again in time, and this time you won't escape unharmed." The words were imprinted in his brain no matter how much he tried to shake it off, he watched as her face hardened.

She glared at the offending piece of paper, shoving it in her pocket. "It's fine, I'll deal with it."

"Fae, no. You need to be careful, whoever this is is deliberately targetting you. You should at the very least tell the guards or Madame Astoria."

She scoffed. "And what exactly are they going to do? I said I'll deal with it."

He growled, frustrated at her stubborn behaviour. "Elphaba, this isn't a game. You're being threatened by someone you don't know in a place you should feel safe!"

"Oh, I didn't know that! Thank you so much for enlightening me!"

He clenched his jaw and rolled his eyes at her. "Why are you-...? You know exactly what I meant."

"And you don't need to worry about me. I can look after myself, Fiyero, I did it for a long time before you, and I'll continue to do so with or without you."

He covered up a flinch at that by averting his gaze for a second. "Tough luck for you then, Elphaba. Because I do. I'm always gonna worry about you and I'm always gonna want to protect you, regardless of whether you can do so yourself or not."

She sighed and bit her lip, hearing the hurt in his voice and she immediately felt guilty, hearing the use of her name and not her nickname served to hit her directly through her heart. Hearing him call her Elphaba was foreign to her now. "I know... I'm sorry..." she closed the gap between them to wrap her arms around him. "I didn't mean to upset you."

"I know." He wrapped his arms around her waist. "I just don't want anything to happen to you. I know you can look after yourself, but you don't have to do it all of the time. That's what I'm supposed to do if you'll let me." He held her close and rested his head on top of hers.

"Nothing will happen, I promise. Let me take care of this." She closed her eyes.

He nodded slightly, taking the note back from her while she was distracted, slipping it into his trouser pocket and quickly returned his hand to her back. They stayed there for five minutes, both unwilling to move from the comfort they provided each other.

"How far did you get with your essay?"

He shrugged. "Not far, I was just starting it when I found that."

She nodded. "Come on, I'll come and help."

"What about all of this?"

"It can wait. Trust me it's gonna take more than a few hours to get through this lot..." she smiled and they both headed back to his desk.

A couple of hours later, she finished reading over his work, writing in her own notes and she passed it back to him. "There, now all you have to do is rewrite it with those points and you're done." she smiled.

He nodded. "I'll get to it later. Well... After I take you out tonight."

"What are you up to? We're already going out this weekend."

He grinned. "I know. And I want to tonight as well," he told her. "I want to take you to something I found a couple of weeks ago when you met up with your aunt again."

"What?"

"You'll have to wait and see." he knew she hated surprises, but he couldn't resist this one. He shook his head at her pout. "Nope, for once, that's not going to work." He planted a kiss on her cheek. "Go on, you've got work to finish."

"Fine." she pouted again and stood up, leaving him alone.

He laughed quietly and packed away the notes and left the library, only returning through the day to bring her food.

Later in the evening, he waited outside Crage Hall for her, not paying any attention to the guards patrolling nearby.

"Well, your face is certainly looking better," Glinda commented as she walked out. "If you're waiting for Elphie, she's been summoned to Nessa's room. I've gotta go, I'll be late and Olie will leave without me." she grinned and skipped away without letting him get a word in.

He blinked, watching the blonde dressed in pink feathers and he shook his head. "What in Oz..." he muttered, shaking his head. He looked around, making sure the guards weren't looking at him and he slipped inside the building, setting off for Nessa's room at the end of the corridor on the ground floor.

"Nessa, there will be others... Boq is not the only boy in school." Elphaba tried to console her sister.

"But I don't want anyone else!" Nessa sobbed. "I want him..."

Elphaba sighed quietly and hugged her. "I know... But I did try to tell you, Nessie... I thought you'd sorted it out?" she looked up seeing the door open and Fiyero quietly slip inside.

"We did! I listened, I really did!" Of course, she had, sometimes Boq had to be reminded of his duties to her but she had listened... hadn't she?

He shook his head slightly as he caught Elphaba's eye over her sister's shoulder.

"Is it because he's not over Glinda? Is that what it was? Because she's pretty and she can walk and-"

"Alright, enough." Elphaba gently took hold of her sister by the shoulders. "Nessa, you're beautiful. The reason you can't walk isn't your fault, and one day someone is gonna see that too." she sighed. "Yes, we know Glinda is pretty too, Oz, she'd be the first to admit it and we all know it. He will never fully be over his crush on her, but he also would like to see her happy. And she is. Ollivander isn't the right man in his eyes but for _her, _that's exactly what he is. And Boq would never hurt Glinda. He didn't even want to hurt you."

Nessa nodded.

"Besides, come on... Boq and Glinda together? The day that happens is the day the whole world falls apart, it would be a disaster!" Elphaba smiled, attempting to lighten the mood.

Nessa wiped her eyes on her sleeve. "You must have seen Fiyero talking to Boq at the dance that night... did he tell you what they talked about?"

Elphaba froze for a split second. "Nessa, I can go longer than a minute without looking for him you know."

"Liar, you always look for him."

She shook her head. '_So it makes me feel safe knowing he's there. Is that so bad?'_ she thought. "Nessa, you have to remember-"

"Did he tell you?"

"I didn't have to." Fiyero stepped in, finally making his presence known. "We all knew it was coming, we all tried to tell you."

"It was just a case of _when _and not _if._" Elphaba finished, a little relieved at his help.

"Get out!" Nessa turned in her chair to glare at him. "This doesn't concern you."

"Nessa, if Boq didn't ask his friends for help, he would have stayed unhappy, and he would have ended up resenting you, and would have gone elsewhere eventually." Elphaba sighed. "At least doing it this way he-" she was cut off by her sister's slap. Her dark eyes narrowed at the petulant looking eighteen-year-old and she bit the inside of her cheek briefly to stop herself from lashing out.

Fiyero watched as his girlfriend's hands twitched before curling into fists in her lap, and for once, he was nervous _for _Nessa. He'd seen her magic in action, both controlled and not, it intrigued and frightened him in equal measure.

"I'm going to allow that one," she spoke in a deadly calm tone and then stood up. "But I'm going to let you cool down because if you think I'm going to carry on this conversation right now, you can forget it." She crossed the room to Fiyero.

Nessa scoffed. "You never react! You make this big show of self-control, but you won't do anything! No wonder father could always do what he did, knowing you would never do anything to protect yourself!"

"Nessa, that's not a good idea," Fiyero warned as the nearby mirror cracked and splintered, the glass clattering noisily to the floor. He didn't dare touch Elphaba right now, no matter how much he wanted to. He saw the obvious fire in her entire body consuming her and her self-control rapidly waning. All he could do was stand in front of her, pointlessly hoping to save Nessa from an outward reaction.

"No! She should be on my side! She should be there for me, not talking my boyfriend into leaving me!"

"She did no such thing." He defended her, shaking his head. "Nessa you know the truth! You know she's told you countless times to change your attitude with him."

"What the hell do you know anyway! You can't talk! With your track record, I'm surprised you haven't-" Any further words were silenced, but her mouth kept moving. When she realised what had happened, she glared daggers at her sister, no doubt soundlessly cursing her apparent nonexistent soul. Elphaba had still not made a single sound, despite casting the spell to silence the tirade.

The furious witch walked around her boyfriend, stalking back to her sister like a predator cornering its prey. The urge to do more to get it into her sister's head was there at her fingertips, but she hung on to that last thread of control as though it were a life raft on violent waves in the ocean. "This is going to be the final time I reprimand you for interfering in matters that do not concern you and bringing up the past when there is no need. You want a reaction? Remember this." she loomed over her sister, green fingers gripping the arms of the wheelchair so tightly they almost turned white. "You throw that around like he's the worst man in Oz as if he's the only one to ever do something so stupid. When will you listen? I don't care who he was with before me. But that's not even why you're saying it. You're not saying it to make me jealous. You're trying to make him feel guilty for his past actions. For what purpose? So he'll get so angry with himself that he'll think about leaving me because he doesn't want to hurt me? Nessarose, that will never happen, I won't allow it." she told her. "Fiyero is not at fault here. And I am not the reason you're acting like the spoilt brat you've unfortunately been raised to be."

"You had a hand in bringing me up too." Nessa spat voicelessly and gaped when she felt her cheek stinging. Her sister had finally slapped her.

Fiyero jumped into action when Nessa's books were sent flying from the shelves as soon as Elphaba had snapped. He grabbed her and pulled her away from her sister. "Come on," he told her gently, cringing when he felt the violent tremors in her arms. She was past angry now and he didn't want her to make herself more upset. he gripped her arms tighter and dragged the frozen woman from the room, hoping his grip wasn't going to mark her skin as a result later. "Walk away now, Fae. That's the reaction she wants." he kept his tone quiet.

She allowed him to move her out of the room and close the door behind them. Fury and anger left her body as soon as she was out of her sister's sight and she turned to him for comfort, wrapping her arms around him tight and burying herself as close as she could to him.

"Shh..." he hugged her close, letting her hair loose from its braid and he ran his fingers through it, an action she couldn't even bring herself to smile over. It took him ten minutes to calm her down.

She sighed. "I... I've never..."

"I know." He kissed her head. "I know. Look, go and get your coat. What I've got to show you will cheer you up."

She smiled a little and shook her head. "I don't feel like going anywhere..."

"Go on," he urged gently. "It'll be better than sitting around feeling guilty over a perfectly justified reaction. Even if it did scare the hell out of me."

She giggled softly and nodded, reluctantly pulling herself away and she headed up to her room, grabbing her coat from the back of the door and made her way back down to him, slipping the coat on as she did.

He held her close, making no comment on how thin it was, but made a mental note to talk Glinda into getting her a new one. He lead her out of the dormitory building and off-campus.

"You're not even going to tell me where we're going?"

He shook his head with a grin as they walked. "Nope. That would ruin the surprise," he told her as they left Shiz behind.

The pair walked for over an hour, talking about everything and nothing all at once.

"You know I don't believe the awful things she says about you, don't you?"

He nodded, smiling at her. He had his doubts sometimes, and he did feel ashamed of himself, and he resolved to try harder to be the best man he could for her. "Of course. You know I'm not proud of what I did. You saw that front when nobody else did. Fae, I already told her of my intentions, I've told her how I feel about you and it's nothing you haven't heard before. Let her throw it at me, I'll take it for as long as I have to, and if you have any doubts about us, about me, then I'll do my best to make them go away."

She smiled and decided to let the matter drop. Her eyes cast down to the river as they walked by. "Where are we?"

"Just a bit further, up here." he walked her up the shallow, rocky embankment by her hand into a wooded area almost identical to the poppy field where they once set a Lion Cub free.

She stood frozen to the spot at the scene before her. Animals of different species conversing as though it were normal, living amongst one another in what appeared to be their own makeshift community. "What...? I don't understand..."

"Temporary Animal camp before they find somewhere else to call home," he explained. "Unfortunately, nobody knows what happened with Doctor Dillamond, but I'm sure we'll find him eventually."

She nodded, stunned into silence.

He grinned. It wasn't often she was speechless. "Come on." He took her hand again and pulled her towards the trees, closer to the Animals.

"How did you find this place?"

He shrugged. "I got restless and started practising my hunting skills. First, it was just regular animals, then..."

"He lost his balance up in a tree and ended up in the river." A grey Rabbit snuffled with a smirk. "Good to see you a little drier, Master Fiyero."

He rolled his eyes and nodded. "Yeah. That. Only came out of it with a sprained ankle too!" he boasted proudly.

"Oh, so that's what happened! You told me you just fell out of a tree. I hadn't even noticed the change of clothes."

The Rabbit tilted his head up at the green woman curiously. "You brought a friend?"

"Rohin, this is Elphaba, my girlfriend." Fiyero grinned.

Rohin hopped tentatively towards the two of them, circling her slowly, sniffing at her legs before looking up at her. "Well, it's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Elphaba."

Elphaba remained still and silent until he was done and she nodded. "You too, Rohin. I must say this is quite the surprise, Fiyero."

"I thought you might say that." He nodded still grinning as they were lead further into the camp.

"So, you have an interest in the Animal community, Miss Elphaba?" Rohin queried.

Elphaba nodded. "Yes, I guess so... I'm going to try and help bring Animals back into society when I start working with the Wizard... That's the hope, anyway..." she explained, seeing the camp only strengthened that resolve. "And I want to find Doctor Dillamond."

"Master Fiyero did mention it... He was your teacher, was he not?"

The two of them nodded at the question.

"I hope your plan works, Miss. Although I'm not sure how other people would react to us after a u-turn in events." A Bear spoke up.

Elphaba nodded again. "I will. We both will." she motioned to Fiyero.

That evening, Elphaba forgot about her fight with her sister and got to know the creatures she looked up to and admired. The family of Docks that had alerted the Animals to Fiyero's fall in the river were swimming teachers. Rohin had been a Lurlinist minister in Quadling Country. The Bear had once been a student. The doctor who treated Fiyero for his injury had been a Penguin. She was told of Bahdlum, a Lion who was a carpenter and builder who was out looking for somewhere else for them all to set up camp.

Hours later, they said their goodbyes and Fiyero walked her back to the university.

"I can't believe you found that place." Her voice was still full of wonder.

"You liked this surprise then?"

She smiled. "I wasn't too impressed with the hunting thing, but... Yeah, I did."

He held her closer. "I know. But remember, back home there are no Animals. How was I to know any different unless it's pointed out to me? Which, by the way, I've been told they will do if they ever find me hunting that way again."

"Good. At least I know that you would never deliberately hurt them."

He kissed her. "Never. I guess with a declaration that they'd be protected, we could send them towards the Vinkus... At least they'd be safer." he mused and shook his head as they stopped outside of Crage Hall, a guard glaring at them both for being outside long after curfew. "I'll see you tomorrow." he smiled.

She nodded and gave him one last kiss. "Goodnight."

"You will one night. We both will, I'll make sure of it."

She rolled her eyes at the innuendo and walked inside without a word. He could have sworn he saw her smirk before the door closed.


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: Guest reviewer... Shh! Damned autocorrect on my phone... Oops... Still... It amused me to see it later! ;) I did well, the only typo in the chapter, I've normally missed about 3...

**Sadness and Secrets**

The friendship circle changed once again and Nessa had distanced herself from her friends, and they, in turn, rallied around Boq in the coming days.

Elphaba found that she wasn't as worried as she had been before. She loved her sister, she always would, but that didn't mean she had to agree with her actions. That morning she didn't have class, so was roped into helping Glinda with her homework for drama.

"So, I found out the boy's name and a few things about him." Glinda jabbered as she applied a fresh coat of pink nail polish to her toes. "His name is Tibbett and he's from Quox. His family are strict Unionists and he had to fight to get to school cause they wouldn't let him."

Elphaba nodded, half-listening as she read through her friend's latest essay.

"He's got a boyfriend! I didn't think that was possible, or even allowed! Does he have the same restrictions we do with ours... I mean... He can't do... They'd be in the same building and nobody would notice... But how do they... -?"

The green woman shook her head with a smirk. "I'm sure they'd find ways to keep each other _entertained._"

"Elphie!" she wrinkled her nose. "For somebody with no experience in the matter, your mind is awfully filthy."

Elphaba shrugged with a laugh. "I just call it as I see it, Lin. You don't have to agree with it. If it keeps them happy, who are we to argue? At least one of them wouldn't be going home or to the nearest apothecary disgraced." She made her notes from the books she was given.

"Speaking of which... Have you thought more about you and Fiyero? And what you'll do when your time comes?"

"I... I have an appointment with the nurse in a week to discuss options." She admitted. "And then I'll talk to him." She finished her work and got up, walking over and handing it to her.

Glinda nodded and she took her essay. "Thank you. So anyway, the reason why he wears dresses is-" She was cut off by a knocking at the door.

Elphaba looked confused and walked to the door, opening it to find one of the guards there.

"Miss Elphaba, Madame Astoria wishes to see you."

"Did she say why?" she had an idea.

"I'm afraid not, Miss." He told her. "Just Miss Elphaba, I'm sorry, Miss Glinda." He added when he saw the blonde go to pick up her shoes.

Elphaba glanced over her shoulder at her friend. "It'll be okay. I'm sure it's just to see how I'm getting on." She spoke and went to grab her coat from the door, looking confused when she couldn't feel it.

"I threw it away. Fiyero told me to tell you to use his that you never gave back to him." Glinda grinned.

"I..." She shook her head and walked to her closet for the coat and put it on. "I'll deal with the two of you later." She left the dorm and was escorted to the Headmistress's office. She knocked on the door and walked in when called. "You asked to see me, madame?" She was relieved when the guard left her alone.

"Are you sure it's wise to go to the Emerald City alone, Miss Elphaba?"

"Why not? I have to find out who is sending me these notes and the only way I can do that is by going to the source."

"I'm receiving reports from Oz himself that the streets of the Emerald City are not safe right now. All further trips to and from the city are to be stopped with immediate effect because of reports of rioting and looting. I'm sorry, I'm going to have to decline your request purely for your safety."

"Surely there's another way! Fiyero's already told you about these despite me telling him not to, you know it's not safe for me here either!"

"Miss Elphaba, please, try and stay calm. I'm aware of them and I'm trying to find out where they've come from myself. Why you couldn't come to me in the first place I'll have no idea..."

"I guess I'm just used to doing everything for myself." Elphaba shrugged. If she couldn't go with her consent, she'd find a way to do it alone. She still had her broom... But when could she leave without anyone knowing...? No... There was no way, as heavily guarded as the school was now she wouldn't even get two feet in the air.

"Because it's been allowed to go on for far too long. Yes, you're an adult, but you are a student here, one of our best. The brightest of your generation, I'd say. You're still under my protection in this school. If you go out there alone, I cannot help you." She raised an eyebrow at the green woman.

"So... I... what? Sit and do nothing?"

"For now. I know it's not ideal, and with a spirit as wild as yours it's hard to comprehend, but trust me, Miss Elphaba. This is the best solution right now. Don't become an enemy."

Dark eyes narrowed slightly. Did she know more than she was letting on? If so, why was she not being told?

"Miss Elphaba." Her tone was warning now.

"Fine. I'll bide my time for now. But if I get another one of those notes, I'm going out there whether you agree or not."

The older woman nodded. "Very well. But at least tell me first."

"Understood. Can I go now?"

She nodded and watched Elphaba leave. She sighed and dropped her head into her hands. She was under no illusion of their great Wizard, she knew his ruling was getting harder and harder to defend but saw no way of stopping it, even more so now that one of her students was being targetted. The half-Quadling stood up with a frustrated groan and paced the office. She looked out of the window to see Chistery perched inside a tree, looking out on to the horizon. "At least one of us in content."

Elphaba pulled the coat tighter around her and she sat on the bench beside the fountain, drawing her knees to her chest and she sighed heavily, screwing her eyes tightly shut as she rested her forehead on her knees.

"Miss Elphie, you sound like you have the whole of Oz on your shoulders."

She blinked and slowly looked up at Boq, giving him a weary smile. "No, I'm fine... Just a rough morning."

"Anything you'd like to talk about?"

She shook her head. "No... It's not important."

He sat the other side of the bench and waited silently.

She too was silent for another two minutes before she uncurled herself and sat upright, arching her back a little to stretch. "I just... I need to know who's sending me these strange notes. Who is it? What do they want with me? What secret are they so desperate to uncover?"

He nodded thoughtfully. "Well... what do you have so far?"

"Admittedly... nothing... Well... Aside from the fact that I believe it to be somebody within the Emerald Palace, or at least somebody with access to the official stationery."

"Well, it's a start." He cocked his head. "Just try not to put yourself at risk by trying to find it out."

"Yeah... Strangely enough, Madame Astoria said the same."

"Oh, she knows?"

She nodded. "Fiyero told her when I got that last note."

"She can help then, can't she?"

"She wants to..." She shrugged. "I know what you're about to say. But how can I just let her? It's happening to me, not her."

"She's also more connected than you." Boq pointed out. "If she can find a way to reveal who it is then my suggestion is to let her deal with it. Work with her, Miss Elphie, not against her." He stood up. "Now, are you coming for lunch or not?"

She couldn't help but chuckle and she stood up from the bench, walking with her friend to the canteen.

The rest of the term passed without incident, and soon Elphaba and Glinda were packing for their vacation, they were due to leave at the end of the week. For the sake of the group, Nessa had agreed to be civil, even if she only talked to her sister.

"Glinda, I'm almost certain that you don't need to pack as many things. We'll only be gone for two weeks." Elphaba raised an eyebrow at her friend.

"I know... I just can't decide what to take home with me." Glinda sighed.

"Have you tried cutting down on the wardrobe?"

The blonde gasped and whirled around at Ollivander who had decided to make himself known. "No! How dare you suggest it. And don't you say a word!" She pointed to the green witch.

Elphaba laughed and shook her head, kicking her packed case under her bed. "I'm not getting involved." She collapsed onto the mattress.

"Are you not coming with us for dinner?" Ollivander tilted his head.

"Oh... Is it already...?" She checked her clock. "I'm sure you remember helping Glinda pack is a nightmare." she hauled herself back to her feet.

"At least this time she can justify packing a lot."

"Don't even," she smirked. "Four days or two weeks, nothing justifies the amount of clothes she possesses." She added and the three of them left the dorm.

"The Emerald City was a reason! We'd never been before." Glinda nodded.

"If you say so." Elphaba rolled her eyes and shook her head with a yawn. "I'd someone could explain to me why I've been so tired this past week that would also be helpful."

Ollivander shook his head. "Could be the relief of an actual break? You haven't stopped at all this term." he pointed out as they crossed the courtyard.

"That's Elphaba all over. Even asleep she doesn't stop." Fiyero piped up with a grin as he stood from the nearby bench.

"Well excuse me for having traumatic dreams of your impending deaths." She smirked and stuck out her tongue.

"You don't stop talking either." Boq put in.

Glinda giggled and Ollivander grinned. "Miss Elphaba, they have a point." he shrugged.

"So I'm restless... I thought you all knew this."

"We do. We just wish you'd slow down some." Fiyero jabbed, walking beside her.

She rolled her eyes. "Fine, I'll try."

Glinda shook her head. "You'll only fail, Elphie." She smiled.

Elphaba shrugged and looked around spotting a familiar carriage pulling up in the courtyard. '_Of course, father would pick Nessa up now.' _she thought dryly and she linked her hand with Fiyero's, hoping he wouldn't notice the change in her.

He merely looked at her and smiled. "I know how difficult it is for you to settle. But please just try?"

"Mhm." She nodded and put her head on his shoulder.

He kissed the top of her head and looked over at Glinda for a moment, his gaze catching the carriage on campus and he saw the tall, bald man dressed in blue robes step out and he stiffened.

"Yero, please don't..." She told him quietly.

Glinda looked around to see what was angering him. "How dare he!" she snapped.

"Miss Glinda, it's not a good idea to confront him. You don't know what he's capable of."

"I know what he did to her. I saw it." She glared at Boq.

"Will you two stop?! Please!" Elphaba groaned. "I'm fully aware of what happened. I _was _there, remember? Just... ignore him, he's here for Nessa. And quite frankly it'll be one less person to worry about ruining your birthday tomorrow." she raised an eyebrow at Fiyero.

Ollivander nodded in agreement, keeping a firm grip around Glinda to prevent her from marching over to the Governor. "She's right. As horrendible as it is to simply walk by knowing what he's done, it would do nobody any good getting into trouble over it. We don't know what he's capable of."

"What about saying goodbye to Nessa?" Glinda asked.

"Then I'll say my goodbye," Elphaba shrugged.

"I'm just glad I'm staying here this Lurlinemas." Boq shivered. "I swear it's cold enough to snow!"

"Who knows, it might do later," Fiyero commented. "If it could wait until they've gone it would be perfect."

Elphaba rolled her eyes at that. "Can we hurry up? I'm hungry and I'm tired."

He grinned and kissed her cheek. "Alright, I'll let it drop for now." he conceded as the friends left campus, unaware that Frex had looked around to see them, trying to figure out their conversation.

The Governor glared after his first-born. '_So the rumours are true. Fraternising with a Winkie of all people!_' He thought, and entered the university halls, looking for Nessarose. He eventually found her in the assembly hall alone, appearing to be deep in thought. "Nessarose."

She blinked and looked up at the sound of her name. She grinned up at him. "Oh, father, you came! But you're early!" she gasped.

"Of course I did. You didn't think I'd leave you all alone did you?" He smiled, bending to kiss her head. "With the snow about to set in, I thought it best to come for you a day early so we'll miss it."

She nodded. "Oh, well I hadn't realised... I'm glad you're here. I just need to finish packing and then say goodbye to Fabala."

His face hardened but forced himself to remain calm. "You've just missed her. I presume your friends have gone to dinner."

She blinked again. "Oh... Well... I suppose if we catch her up... But..." She didn't really want to put her sister and father in the same space as one another again. She was more worried about what her friends would do to him, they'd become incredibly protective of Elphaba since she told them what had happened in the summer, and with Fiyero being a trained hunter since childhood, who knew what he was capable of?

"You don't need to, Nessa. You'll see her again after the holidays." Frex told her. "Let her not spoil your time away."

She shook her head. "Please, father. I have to see her."

"Very well, we'll wait until the evening and then you may talk to her. Come, you said you have some packing to do, I'll assist you."

She nodded, knowing she wasn't going to get any more than that. "Thank you." she allowed him to wheel her out.

"You haven't written much about young Boq lately. I hope things are well between the two of you."

"Oh..." she swallowed the lump in her throat. "We... um... We broke up."

"Oh, my girl, I'm sorry to hear of it." He sighed. He had thought them to be a good match, and the last time he'd seen them together he did appear to be devoted to her.

"Don't be." she sighed. "It was my own doing, I realise it now. He was so attentive and so caring and I... well, I wasn't."

He nodded. "First heartbreak is never easy, no matter the reasoning." he wheeled her back to her dorm.

She didn't respond to that and pointed to her closet when asked where her case was.

"Has Elphaba been keeping up with her duties to look after you?"

"Why should she? I'm a grown woman, I can do most things for myself." Nessa shrugged. "Father, Fabala and I have been at each other's throats quite recently and we've only just got back on an even keel. She has her own life, as do I."

He shook his head thinking his daughter was being naive.

"And I know you don't approve of her and Fiyero, but he is her choice. They're so happy together, he really is good for her. They love each other."

"Love." He scoffed. "Neither of you know the meaning of the word."

"Maybe not, but he's certainly showing her. She wouldn't appreciate you trying to pull them apart. You disowned her, father, quite publicly, you have no claim to her or her responsibilities any more." Nessa told him, ignoring his incredulous look. "I battled with my sister and realised things the hard way. I did the same with Boq and I lost him. Yes, he hurt me, but I hurt him too."

A couple of hours later, the friends returned to the school, still chattering amongst themselves as the snow began to fall.

"Nessa is still here?" Ollivander queried upon seeing the carriage still there.

"She probably wanted to say goodbye." Elphaba shrugged and looked up at her boyfriend. "Please don't say anything to aggravate him." She kissed him lightly before walking ahead alone.

"Elphie, wait!" Glinda clacked after her in her heels, Fiyero following her. "You're not going alone."

"Damn right you're not."

Elphaba stopped and stared at them both for a long minute, for once unable to find a sarcastic retort or demands that she not be ordered around. She could see both of their points, heard their concerns. If it was either of them she would do the same thing. "Fine. But no matter how much you want to punch him, don't."

Fiyero shrugged in response, evidently not wanting to make a promise he had no intention of keeping and Elphaba seemed to realise that.

Ollivander and Boq stayed back to wait for them, not wanting to get involved and Boq was still avoiding Nessa.

The three of them entered the building and walked into Nessa's dorm room.

Nessa looked up. "Fabala, you came!"

Outwardly, Elphaba appeared to be calm as she smiled at her sister. "Of course, I did. I thought I'd missed you." She stepped forward to hug her, her heart in her throat and her stomach churning uncomfortably.

Frex glared at Elphaba, not saying anything.

"Where will you go? Are you staying here with Boq?"

Elphaba shook her head. "No, I'm going back with Glinda. We decided it in the summer."

"Oh..." Nessa sighed.

"Look, Boq will be fine. It's only a couple of weeks."

She nodded. "Well... I hope you have a good Lurlinemas."

"You too."

"It's okay Nessa, she'll have the best time! I already have so much planned." Glinda giggled.

Elphaba turned around. "This is where you jump in and save me." She smirked.

Fiyero shook his head. "No way. She scares me." he laughed, reaching over and gently pulled her back to him. He frowned slightly at the barely-there tremors and wrapped his arms around her.

Glinda stepped forward to say her own goodbyes.

Elphaba remained quiet as she calmed her nerves and tried to settle her insides.

"As soon as she's done, get out of here." He told her gently. "I don't want you here any more than you have to be."

She could only nod at that, forcing her heart rate to slow down as she breathed. She slowly looked up and she was easily met with a soft yet urgent kiss and she smiled.

"I love you, Fae." He smiled, happy now to see the fear and anguish in her eyes gone, and her light and happiness returned. He would keep her safe for as long as he was able to.

"Come on, let's get out of here." She shivered.

He looked around seeing Glinda walk back to them. "You two go. I'll be out in a minute."

"Yero... Don't..."

"Go on." He gently urged her.

She sighed, there was no use in arguing with him about something he'd been wanting to do for months, even hinting that if she wasn't with him physically, he'd be off to deal with it long before this moment. "Just... Remember Nessa..."

He nodded and kissed her forehead before standing a little taller.

She watched with a faint smile as he stood from her Yero to the highly skilled hunter and Arjiki Prince he was, and she walked out with Glinda.

"Nothing to say this time, Governor? I'm surprised." Fiyero spoke calmly once he was sure they were out of earshot. He stalked forward.

Frex scoffed and stood up, glaring at him. "I have nothing to say to Winkies."

"No, you prefer to let your fists do the talking."

"How dare you!" he spat. "Whatever I did to that little green aberration was fully deserved!"

Fiyero growled and secured a punch against his jaw before grabbing him by the front of his robes. He barely heard Nessa's shrieking. "Her name is Elphaba. And she is your daughter. She is not an aberration." he snarled. "She has more kindness and love in a single strand of her hair than you have in your pathetic existence. Despite everything she has been through, she hasn't let it make her bitter or angry at the world. It's made her distrusting, and rightly so, but never bitter."

"Get your hands off me, you filthy Winkie savage." Frex snapped, struggling to pull himself free.

Fiyero chuckled darkly. "Oh, please. Think of something at least a bit original. I've been told by men bigger and stronger than you to go back to my own country. And I responded by drinking their alcohol and having my way with the ladies. But that's all changed now. Your daughter changed me for the better and that's how it's staying. She's not going to come anywhere near you. Not ever. Nessa is a grown woman who can and will come to see her sister whenever she likes, but she does it without you, and when I eventually make Elphaba my wife, she will be there." With one last punch to the gut, he dropped the Governor of Munchkinland and walked out of the room. He hissed and shook his hand to stop it from stinging as he walked outside to the rest of the group.

"Yero..." Elphaba rushed to him, hoping he wasn't hurt.

"I'm fine. I didn't do too much damage."

"To who?" Ollivander smirked undeterred by the green woman's scowl.

"Both." He answered as Elphaba gently took his hand and pressed soft kisses to the bruising knuckles. He withdrew it and held her close. "I'm okay. I won't apologise for defending you though."

Just this once, she didn't want him to. "I want to go to the library. I just have a little bit to finish off before the winter break." She spoke as the snow began to fall heavier.

Boq nodded. "At least we can avoid them leaving."

"You're such a cowardly Munchkin," Fiyero smirked, and his friends laughed.

The five of them rushed inside to the library building, mostly to get out of the snow.

"How many books have you had to burn because they're so far gone beyond repair?" Ollivander questioned.

"Eight hundred and twenty." She answered. "A lot of them were so old that their information was so outdated... It wouldn't have mattered that they were used to keep me warm."

"She's also snuck out quite a few," Fiyero revealed with a smirk.

She blushed. "They were to do with Animals!"

He rolled his eyes. "And that's why I have them so nobody can get to them."

Glinda shook her head and huddled against Ollivander. "Elphie..."

"What? We need all the help we can get."

Nessa and Frex left for home not long after and the friends weathered the snowstorm in the library, helping to sort out the remaining mess in the storeroom.


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: ShizStudent; I know! Only been waiting... Twelve chapters for him to come face to face with the man who hurt his girlfriend... But yes, finally justice for Elphie! I've waited so long to write it.

I'm sorry my updates are not as regular as they once were. A change in jobs and not feeling too great and also not receiving as many reviews as before has had an effect on my muse... But not to worry! I aim to get back on track soon, I still have so many things planned.

**Sadness and Secrets**

It was rare for Glinda to wake up before her roommate. Apparently snow days were an exception to the rule as the blonde rifled through her closet for warmer clothes just before breakfast time and lit the fire in the fireplace in their room.

The sounds of movement in the room stirred the green witch, causing her to lift up out of bed ever so slightly and she shivered, pulling the blankets tighter around her body. "Lin... What are you doing?"

"Looking for something to wear," Glinda stated as though it were obvious.

"Glinda, it's too cold." She complained.

"The fire will soon warm. Come on, Elphie, there's more snow outside now!"

Elphaba shook her head. "No. Too cold."

Glinda ignored her and hummed to herself, picking out a pair of woollen tights, and a large, thick, puffy blue dress and she changed her clothes. "Elphie? Could you zip me up?" she asked ten minutes later.

Elphaba refused to move until the fire had indeed warmed the room, and she nodded, sitting up in bed. "Fine, come here." She smiled and zipped up her dress.

"Are you going to tell me what you got Fiyero now?"

"Nope." She smirked, already knowing she'd tell her after breakfast. "You'll have to wait." She jumped out of bed and dressed quickly. "I hate being cold. I hate the snow. I hate the winter."

Glinda giggled. "It's not that bad."

"Munchkinlanders don't take to cold very well..."

Glinda dragged her friend to the window. "See? It must have snowed quite heavily in the night."

Elphaba shivered again at the thought of having to go outside. "Why did Fiyero have to be born in the middle of winter."

Her friend laughed and they both left the dorm and headed to the canteen for breakfast.

"You never told me what the nurse said?" Glinda prodded, still trying to get further information from her friend even two weeks on. They sat with their breakfast.

"I never told him everything either." She smirked. "Fine... She asked me if I was allergic to anything. Now, I know I'm not as far as I'm aware, but I told her I couldn't take pinlobble leaves or milk flower weeds."

"Why would- oh..." She remembered their first conversation as friends.

"Exactly. I know they're used widely as methods to help with those things, but I'd rather not risk anything."

"So what did she suggest?"

"I have to take some sort of tonic every night for three weeks and then I don't take it for a week..." She grimaced. "Honestly it tastes awful."

"Well if it's gonna stop you both from a little accident if and when you do it... You'll need all the help you can get." Glinda smirked.

"Yeah, yeah. I know." She laughed quietly and ate her eggs and toast.

After breakfast, they both left the canteen.

"We can go for a walk off-campus if you wanted?" Glinda suggested. "I may have... Forgotten Fifi's presents when Lurlinemas shopping..."

"Glinda..." Elphaba groaned and shook her head with a laugh. "Fine, come on. It's already too cold and I already hate you for this. And who's to say you'll find anything?"

"This is why you're going to help me. And you can tell me what you got him so I don't get the same thing."

She rolled her eyes. "It's nothing too much. Just a watch with an engraving on the back." She shrugged.

"What does it say?"

"If he wants to tell you, he can."

"Elphie." She pouted.

"No. You won't understand it anyway," she smirked and they both walked out into the snow. "I really hate the snow." She complained.

"Yes, so you keep saying." Glinda giggled and linked her arm through her friend's and they left the university. She pouted when they found a notice saying there would be no carriages that day due to the snow. "Looks like we'll have to walk... And these boots are not great for winter walks... Ooh! I could get some new shoes while we're there!"

Elphaba rolled her eyes with a smile and shook her head. "At least we'll be getting a train to your home." She commented. Both girls then walked the twenty-minute walk precariously into the town.

The girls were not surprised to find people in the town already rushing around for their shopping. Glinda dragged Elphaba into the first shoe shop she found. It wasn't long before Glinda was taken with the sparkles and colours.

"Ahem."

Glinda pouted at her friend and her shoulders dropped. "Fine..." She huffed and the pair looked for a pair of boots suitable for the snow. This time Elphaba made no objections when her blonde friend found a pair of bright pink snow boots. They were paid for and they left the shop within half an hour.

"Do you have any idea what I could get?"

Elphaba shrugged as they walked the snow-covered cobbled streets. "It took me a while to think about the watch."

Glinda pouted again, clinging to Elphaba's arm as the town started to get busier. Eventually, she spotted a menswear shop and dragged her into it. "Ooh, I bet I could find something in here."

The green girl rolled her eyes and bit back a snark when she heard a yelp from a passing woman. _Yes, _she was green, did she have to be so obvious in her shock?! She levelled the woman with a glare instead until she tripped over her own shoes to get out of the way.

"Oh, Elphie!" Glinda tutted and shook her head before walking away.

"She started it," Elphaba grumbled, following her friend.

Ten minutes of scouring the clothing racks, Glinda gasped happily, reaching for a deep red, crushed velvet suit jacket. "What about this? Elphie, wouldn't he just look wonderful?"

She raised an eyebrow, hands on her hips and her lips curved into a smirk at the blonde gushing over an article of clothing.

"Elphie! Hello?"

"Mhm. Sure. If you think so."

"Oh, you're no help! Now... To get the correct fit..." Glinda dug through the rails until she found the one she was looking for.

Elphaba tuned her out and leaned against the wall, waiting for her to finish, watching as the blonde flounced around the shop and went to pay for the jacket. "Perfect, can we leave now?"

"Are you done with your Lurlinemas shopping?"

"Glinda, I'm cold. It's been snowing. I want to go home. And it's been snowing."

The blonde rolled her eyes and dragged Elphaba out of the shop into the crowds again, the green girl growling as more people leapt aside at the sight of her, and didn't have the chance to react because Glinda had already started pulling her along the street.

A few hours later, the girls returned to the school armed with many bags, Glinda had either forced Elphaba to buy or had paid for the items she held, but for once, both girls enjoyed the trip. Even with Elphaba being avoided at all costs, something she'd started to take full advantage of and even smirk and do things purposefully to make them move.

"What the hell?" Boq raised an eyebrow at the two as he crossed the courtyard to them.

Elphaba smiled. "Hello to you too, Boq. Blame Glinda."

"Oh, please. You hadn't done any Lurlinemas shopping, so I had to change it."

"I had!"

"Elphie, getting Nessa's presents because you knew you wouldn't see her doesn't count."

Elphaba rolled her eyes at that. "Yes, fine, whatever." she waved a hand in the air.

Boq shook his head at them both with a small smile. "We did wonder where you'd got to. Chistery pointed toward the school gates so Fiyero figured you'd be out somewhere." He walked with them.

"Not by choice."

"Elphie doesn't like the snow," Glinda smirked.

"It's cold!"

Glinda giggled at the complaint and relieved Elphaba of all but one of her bags.

"That one's got yours in. You're not allowed to see."

"Oh." the blonde pouted. "Fine." she headed up to their dorm.

"I'll just hide it in Nessa's room until she goes to sl-" she stopped mid-sentence when she felt something cold and wet hit the back of her head, followed by a laugh she recognised. She turned, glaring at the source of the laughter, and raised an eyebrow at her boyfriend.

Fiyero headed over to her, a cocky grin on his face, completely unperturbed by the withering glare she was giving him.

"Did you know he was there?" The glare turned on the Munchkin.

Boq paled and shook his head. "N-no!"

Fiyero laughed again, growing a little more nervous. "Hey, Fae. Come on... It wasn't _that_ bad."

Frightened, Boq took the bag she held out to him, looking up at them both. Still, he didn't make a sound and he retreated inside the girls' dorm building.

"You'd better run." The glare faded, and ruby lips curved into a devious smirk.

"Uh oh." Fiyero gulped and ran, but he didn't get far before she hit her target and a snowball hit him square on the back of the head. It wasn't long before there was laughter in the air between the two of them as they attacked each other in the snow. He ran after her and dragged her to the ground, hovering over her with a smirk on his face.

"That wasn't fair!" she laughed, looking up at him as she tried to get her breath back. "Yero, let me up, it's cold."

"I can change that," he smirked and kissed her quick before falling to his side beside her.

She laughed and rolled her eyes, turning her head to look at him for a moment. "Happy birthday." she smiled and kissed him lightly. "Unfair advantage. You're stronger than me." she added.

"Thank you." He shrugged with a grin. "Got you didn't I?"

"Whatever." she slowly got to her feet, brushing off the snow from her clothes, shivering a little. "Are you gonna stay there and catch your death or are you going to get up?"

"Fifi, why are you on the floor?"

"Snowball fight, and he tackled me," Elphaba smirked, shaking her head when he held his arm out to her. "I'm not falling for that. Get up."

Glinda giggled. "Oh, I miss all the fun," she complained as Fiyero got to his feet.

"Worth a try." He shrugged, still grinning.

"I'm sure he'll try again later," Elphaba commented, rolling her eyes at his nod. "See?"

"Oh, Elphie, your hair is all wet."

"Yes, Glinda, that's what usually happens when somebody pins you to the ground and it's been snowing." Elphaba snarked with a smirk and walked inside. She wasn't surprised to hear both of them behind her as she ascended the stairs. "Must you both follow me?"

"Yes." Glinda giggled.

Elphaba rolled her eyes as the three of them went to her room and she shed her coat quickly by the still open fire.

Glinda quickly grabbed a towel and proceeded to dry her friend's hair with it, and Fiyero lounged on the end of Elphaba's bed, observing the bags beside the desk between the two beds.

"Glinda's idea," Elphaba commented. "She forgot a few things and then insisted we finished Lurlinemas shopping."

Glinda scoffed. "Finished? You hadn't even started."

"Why on earth would I bother? Just hurry up so I can change."

Fiyero rolled his eyes with a laugh and shook his head at them both as they bickered. "Sometimes it's nice to indulge in the festivities once in a while, Miss Fae."

She turned her head and stuck her tongue out at him, and he laughed again and he stood up, walking over to take Glinda's place and took over with towel drying her hair.

Glinda then walked over to the multitude of bags and started to sort them out.

"I think the fire may well have dried your clothes now." He pointed out after a minute. "Anyway, we don't have to go anywhere else right now."

"No, I guess not." Elphaba shrugged with a small smile and turned herself around to look up at him. "I believe I missed something."

"Oh, really?" he smiled, gently placing his hands on her hips.

"Mhm." She nodded and whispered softly against his lips before she kissed him; "Joyeux anniversaire, mon amour."

He grinned and returned her kiss. "Merci." He held her close against him as they both warmed by the fire, and he whispered sweet words into her ear.

Glinda took her moment to quietly sneak out of the room undetected, stealing one last glance at them with a big smile on her face.

"Dance with me, Fae."

"What?"

He bit back a laugh at her incredulous expression. "Dance with me." he repeated, his blue eyes shining with amusement.

"Two issues there, Fiyero. I can't dance. And there's no music."

"Yes you can, and we don't need it."

She scoffed and shook her head.

"Fine, you want music, surely Glinda has-" He stopped when he looked around and saw no sign of the blonde. "-has disappeared without trace." he finished.

Elphaba blinked and looked over her shoulder, bewildered. "Lin?" she called out and shook her head when met with silence. Slowly she looked up at him again. Why did she feel nervous? She'd been alone with him before... "She... Uhm, she has a gramophone under her bed." She hurried over to Glinda's side of the room to locate it.

He nodded, remaining quiet. He watched her busy herself, knowing full well what had caused the change in her.

"Hm... It's not here." She muttered and stood up again.

He sighed and crossed the room to her. "So we'll make our own. It's just a dance, I promise." He smiled, holding a hand out to her. "I won't do anything you don't want me to."

She nodded. "I know." She smiled and took his hand, allowing him to lead her to the middle of the room. The butterflies in her stomach sprung to life when he wrapped his arms around her waist and she nervously placed hers around his neck and he started a very simple, slow dance with her.

"You're not as bad as you think you are." He told her with a grin, and he wasn't surprised to be met with an eye roll.

After a while, their dance was over and Elphaba forced herself out of his arms rather reluctantly and she headed to her closet, picking out a small wrapped up box and she walked back to him, holding it out to him.

"What is this?"

"If I told you, it wouldn't be a surprise now, would it?" she smirked.

He scoffed and laughed. "Fine." Slowly, he unwrapped it and opened it, his eyes wide at the watch inside. "Fae..." he breathed. He knew it must have cost her a lot.

"Is it too much...?"

"What? No, it's perfect. Thank you." He grinned and kissed her lightly.

She smiled. "Look at the back."

He took the watch out and flipped it over, seeing the inscription on the back; _tu as mon coeur pour toujours - Fae x. _He looked over at her and wordlessly pulled her into his arms and he felt all of her tension disappear.

To say she felt relieved was an understatement. She wrapped her arms around him instantly and she closed her eyes, shivering a little as he whispered his love for her into her ear, against her neck, words that were followed by featherlight kisses to her skin, and she softly caressed his neck.

Five minutes later, he lifted his head to look into her face once more and he smiled. "We should probably get going."

"We should..." She nodded, although neither of them moved to separate. She smiled softly and kissed him after a moment and gently tugged him forward as she walked back.

He returned her kiss eagerly and only broke it when he realised where she was leading him. "Are you sure?"

She nodded, her heart fluttering madly in her chest. "I'm sure." She told him with a smile and they fell on to her small bed and she kissed him again.

He let the watch be forgotten somewhere on the bed where he landed and he turned his attention to the woman beneath him. He smirked slightly when she tilted her head to the side as he gently kissed her neck, and she allowed him greater access. Her sighing and gasps spurred him on as he marked her neck. _Mine. _He thought with another smirk on his face and his hands roamed every inch of her he could find.

Elphaba lay beneath him, her eyes closed as she revelled in the new sensations, that warm feeling spreading from her gut to the tips of her hair and to her toes as she sighed his name, one of her hands getting lost in his hair, and the other gently grazed her nails up and down his back, and almost instinctively, she curled a leg around his as he pressed himself against her. She bit her lip when she felt him, she had no idea how to react, but her body seemed to know what to do. She tried not to dwell on anything else.

He froze at the ever so slight raise of her hips against his, and he slowly raised his head to look at her again, barely moving at the friction neither of them had meant to cause. "Fae?" he waited until she looked up at him with her dark, trusting eyes and she nodded at his unasked question. "I love you." He smiled and he lowered his head again as one of his hands worked on the top buttons of her dress, covering the exposed skin with his lips which caused another whimper from her. With each kiss, he told her he loved her, and she whispered it back to him.

Eventually, he pulled himself away from her, but he stayed laying on top of her, he reached up and softly caressed her cheek. "We need to stop, mon amour." he told her gently.

"Yero... I told you... It's okay. I want this." She smiled softly as she gazed up at him, her eyes heavily clouded with her heightened emotions.

He kissed her forehead. "I know. Oz, I know... And I do too. But now isn't the right time. With Glinda coming back at any minute... I want to do this with you, and I want to do it right. There is only once for you, and I want it to be as special as it should be."

She blushed and she bit her lip again. She knew there was no denying he wanted her as much as she did him. That evidence was pressed firmly against her right thigh. "Yero... I can always lock the door." She smiled.

He chuckled softly and shook his head. "I thought I was supposed to be the bad influence."

"I learned it from you." She smirked and kissed him again. She knew his mind was made up, and although she could admit to herself she was feeling a little bit sexually frustrated, she understood his reasons and knew that when their moment came, it would be worth it.

Glinda returned to the room an hour later, finding them both asleep on Elphaba's bed, Fiyero with his head on her chest, his arms wrapped securely around her.


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: a shorter chapter than the last ones have been, I sort of... reached a dead end. hopefully the next one will be better. I love you guys.

**Sadness and Secrets**

The group of friends waved Ollivander off the following day, and a few days later, Elphaba and Glinda wound up at the train station waiting for their train that had been delayed due to the persistent snowfall.

"Glinda! Will you stop fidgeting?! We will get there this side of Lurlinemas!" Elphaba scolded with a smirk.

"I know, but I really don't like travelling." she pouted, playing with the faux fur covered muff that was meant to keep her hands warm.

"No, you just don't like the fact that you can't play in the snow anymore." her friend commented, leaning against a stone pillar.

Glinda ignored the smirk and shook her head, bouncing on her toes to try and stay warm - with little to no effect and she looked around and then gasped. "Elphie look! Fifi came after all!"

"What?" Elphaba looked up to see Fiyero and Boq climbing the steps to the platform and she smiled, rolling her eyes when Glinda called them over excitedly and then threw her arms around Fiyero in a tight hug which he returned with a grin.

"Anybody would think you were never gonna see me again!" he laughed.

"What do you think will happen? That you'll get stuck in the snow for two weeks?" Boq put in.

Glinda gasped. "Don't even joke!"

Elphaba rolled her eyes at her friend's dramatics. "I thought you'd left already."

"He's making his driver wait so he can say goodbye to you," Boq told her while Fiyero shrugged, handing over the bag of presents to Glinda.

"You sap." she teased, his reasoning made her heart flutter.

"Love you too, Fae." he grinned and pulled her close to him and kissed her.

She grinned and kissed him back. "Je t'aime. Je te verrai dans deux semaines."

"Deux semaines," he repeated softly, resting his forehead on hers. At least the next time he saw her now she wouldn't come home to him hurt.

She gently touched his face. "I'm okay. I'll be safe now," she whispered. "Yero, he can't get to me now."

He nodded and said nothing else. He could just be content with holding her in his arms forever.

A few minutes later they heard the whistle of the train ringing in the air. "Elphie! Come on, it's here!"

"You'd better come back to me in one piece," he told her, not entirely joking.

Elphaba smiled at that. "I will. I can't promise that Glinda won't have her way with me though."

He rolled his eyes. "You know what I meant."

She kissed him again before she was dragged off by Glinda, and Fiyero and Boq helped them on with their bags and waved them off as the train slowly left the station.

"Come on, at least this time Miss Elphie's gonna be safe. Government officials won't do anything over the holidays, and as far as I'm aware, Frottica has nothing to do with Munchkinland." Boq told his friend as they both cautiously left the platform.

"I know... I just..."

"Worry? I know. But just keep remembering that she's safe, she's too far away for him to do anything even with the snow as bad as it is. I don't think even Miss Nessa knows Glinda's address. It was Miss Elphie who wrote the letters over the summer." The two friends shared a hug before Fiyero got into the waiting carriage and he too headed for home, leaving Boq to make his way back to Shiz alone.

Three days later, the day before Lurlinemas Eve, the girls arrived in Frottica, having been delayed even more by the weather, leaving Elphaba complaining that they should have stayed at school.

"Elphaba, just how exactly would you have coped with the cold weather if you had run off that day in the Emerald City? How would you have coped being a fugitive on the run?" Glinda raised an eyebrow at her green companion when they left the empty train station.

A pause. "Shut up." She shook her head walking with her and their bags on a stolen luggage trolley until they reached Glinda's home.

The house looked no bigger than Colwen Grounds, but the exterior was a lot cleaner, a lot more inviting than the dusty old mansion back in Munchkinland, and was decorated with multi-coloured lights.

The petite blonde burst through the door with a loud, dramatic sigh and a wide smile on her lips. "I'm home!"

Elphaba couldn't help but laugh as she watched her. She was then forced to leave the luggage in the foyer as she was dragged through the large house. She barely listened as she was given the tour of the house and they eventually caught up with Glinda's parents.

"We're here!" Glinda giggled.

"Yes, I can see that." Callistra smiled softly at her daughter and her friend. "How was your journey?"

"Long. And cold." Elphaba didn't hesitate to complain.

Glinda rolled her eyes with a grin and hugged her mother. "Elphie hates the cold. You'll get used to the complaining."

Glinda's father laughed and nodded. "She's got the right idea! Stay warm, Miss Elphaba."

The green girl smiled a little and nodded. "Glinda likes the snow."

"Makes sense. We had the first snowfall of the season the day she was born." he smiled.

"Hmm, that's about the _only _thing he remembers from that day," Callistra smirked lightly. "Are you both hungry?" she got a nod from the two girls. "Well, your rooms are all ready and dinner will be done in about two hours. I should imagine your bags have already been taken upstairs."

"Come along, Elphie!" Glinda grinned and dragged her out of the room and up the stairs.

The rest of the day passed by in a blur for them both, they didn't settle until later that evening.

"Elphie, you don't have to clean up here." Glinda smiled and pulled her friend away from the kitchen.

"But-"

"Nothing. We have people here for that, and you're a guest here."

Elphaba nodded and allowed herself to be dragged away, the feeling of guilt never leaving her.

_Old habits are hard to break I guess... _Glinda thought. "Come with me."

"Where are we going?"

Glinda ignored her and dragged her through the house until they reached the attic, grabbing a couple of old coats and handed one to her, she then climbed out of the window and hauled herself up on to the roof, Elphaba followed closely and cautiously behind her.

"What are we doing up here?" she shivered, pulling the coat tighter around her.

"I come up here when it gets a bit overwhelming in there." the blonde admitted. "And I could see that happening with you."

"You don't get overwhelmed or panicky." Elphaba scoffed as she sat beside her friend. "You're Glinda, you thrive in front of people and you glow like a string of Lurlinemas lights when you talk about your family."

"I know. But yes, even I get scared and it does get too much for me sometimes." Glinda smiled. "You know as well as I do... from Nessa's perspective at least, the duties put on a woman of societal status."

Elphaba shrugged. "Maybe if I was a normal colour, Frex would be pushing me to marry, yes. And with Nessa, he's more... protective. He didn't need to worry with Boq, but now they're no longer together, I don't know what he'll do... To carry on the line she _is _required to marry, and my grandfather wouldn't have allowed her to claim governor status unmarried."

Glinda nodded. "And when Fifi asks you, and we both know he will, and you'll say yes, you'll be a princess." she grinned. "But that's what most of those balls I've had to attend in the past have been for. To find a match for me, and those men can range from our age to old enough to be our grandfathers." she shuddered. "Just as long as I married into good money, it wouldn't have mattered how I felt about the whole thing."

"Sort of explains why you latched on to Fiyero like a limpet the second you met him." she smirked.

Glinda giggled at that. "And the fact that he is a very good looking man. And an amazing kisser." she nudged her blushing friend.

"Well, yes, there is that." Elphaba agreed.

"And don't think I didn't notice that mark on your neck, Miss Elphie."

She subconsciously rubbed the spot where the hickey had been. "No idea what you're talking about."

"Oh, really?"

"And anyway, you're a fine one to talk, you're covered with them."

Glinda giggled again.

"At least tell me you're safe."

"Yes, mum, I am." the blonde sighed dramatically with a grin. "I'm much too young for a screaming child and I have the perfect figure."

Elphaba rolled her eyes. "Young and immature, yes." she smiled. "But you ought to know by now that I don't really care about looks."

The two friends stayed close together to stay warm, talking for a while longer sat on the roof beneath a cloudless, starry night sky, and they eventually retreated to their beds, their rooms next door to each other.


	9. Chapter 9

**Sadness and Secrets**

.

"Elphie come on! Wake up!"

Elphaba groaned and rolled away from the bouncing on the bed and the excitable blonde making the noise. "Get lost!"

Glinda just giggled and shook her head, pulling the covers away from her best friend. "Elphie! It's Lurlinemas!"

Which, had she been back home in Munchkinland, would be just another day to her. "Glinda, how are you awake?! What time is it?" The girls had spent the night talking under the covers and telling each other stories.

"Just around six."

"Oz! Let me sleep a bit longer." Elphaba buried her head under the pillow.

Glinda pouted for a minute before huffing and collapsing down beside her. "Fine." The household staff wouldn't be ready for breakfast for another hour anyway. "Elphie?"

"What?"

"Have you truly never had a good Lurlinemas?" Silence reigned for a long while and Glinda was sure she had fallen back to sleep, and then the quiet answer came, muffled by the pillow.

"No. I haven't."

Glinda bit her lip, she didn't need to ask _why_\- she already knew.

But Elphaba continued to speak anyway. "Frex was- _is _a devout Unionist. But he is willing to partake in a religious service if need be. He will exchange gifts with Nessa, and that's about it. When my mother died, I was too young to understand or gain any enjoyment from it."

"Well, I'm going to make sure you have the best first Lurlinemas ever! And don't roll your eyes at me! I can practically hear it!"

Elphaba laughed and slowly removed her head from under the pillow and rolled over to face her. She knew that this time together would only serve to strengthen their bond, their friendship and sisterhood running deep within them both and they both knew that they would stand the test of time. "Thank you, Lin."

"Whatever for?"

"For being my sister."

Glinda smiled and held her hand. "Always, Elphie. Always." They lay there in silence, both lost in their own thoughts.

An hour later, they both dressed and made their way downstairs in time for breakfast.

"Ah, good morning!" Glinda's father beamed widely at the two. "Happy Lurlinemas."

"Morning, Popsy!" Glinda giggled and kissed him on the cheek, and presented her mother the same. "Happy Lurlinemas."

"Happy Lurlinemas, Elphaba." Callistra hugged her, smiling.

Elphaba smiled softly, reluctantly hugging back. "Happy Lurlinemas."

The four of them sat to eat.

"We'll open some presents now, and the rest when we come back. We go to the chapel for the Lurlinemas service, you're welcome to join us if you like, Elphaba." Callistra said.

"I... thank you but... I... I've never been, and I'm not religious, it probably wouldn't be the best place for me..."

"You don't have to be! I'm certainly not!" Glinda grinned. "It's just some light fun singing carols. I ignore the man when he launches into his boring speeches... he puts a comatose patient to sleep!"

"Glinda!" her father couldn't help but laugh and he shook his head.

"Come on, Elphie. Please?"

Elphaba paused, trying to ignore her friend's pouting and she sighed. "Fine! Fine, I'll go." she laughed when the blonde threw her arms around her neck.

They sat around the tree after breakfast, and Glinda handed a present each to her mother and father. Her mother unwrapped a gold, ruby studded butterfly brooch, and her father received a new pocket watch.

"Thank you, darling, it's beautiful." she smiled and hugged her daughter.

"Thank you, precious." he kissed her on the cheek.

Next, it was Glinda's turn, her parents had given her a new pair of shoes and some make-up, Elphaba had gifted her a set of brand new rollers to replace the old, battered ones she had. "Thank you so much." she grinned and hugged each of them in turn and then searched for Elphaba's present from her sister, instead all she found was a Lurlinemas card. "Is... Tell me that's not Nessa's gift to you?"

The green girl shrugged. "Sometimes I'd be lucky to get that from her." she took it from her friend and opened it, Nessa had included a script from the Unionist Bible in the card. _Nice way of saying I'm going to hell without actually saying it. _she thought sarcastically.

"Elphie, that's...-"

"-completely normal for her." she cut her off with a wry smile. "Honestly, Glinda, it's fine. I get a small present for my birthday occasionally when she can get it without my father noticing. I'm okay with that."

Glinda scoffed and handed over a small pink gift bag.

Elphaba scoffed with an eye roll and she laughed. "Thank you. What is it? An old mascara?" she smirked.

"Only one way to find out."

The friends giggled and Elphaba tentatively opened her present, a small bottle of sweet, fruity scented perfume they had both liked during one of the shopping trips Glinda had forced her on. "Lin... thank you."

The blonde smiled and hugged her. "I saw you eyeing it the last time we went out."

_But I couldn't afford it. _Elphaba sighed, smiling a little. "It does have a wonderful smell though, doesn't it."

She nodded in agreement. "Fiyero almost got you the same one." she giggled.

"I wouldn't have minded," Elphaba told her, causing Glinda to roll her eyes with a smile.

"Elphie! You can't get two of the same present!"

"Why ever not?"

"Because! It's just simply not done! Oh, I have so much to teach you."

This time the green girl rolled her eyes, and Glinda's parents watched in amusement. "Glinda, I could get books!"

"Yes, but they wouldn't be the _same _books would they?"

"No, but-"

"Exactly!"

Elphaba sighed, giving up, knowing she wouldn't win. Her best friend was just as stubborn as she could be.

Not long after that, they were wrapped up and making their way to the chapel for the Lurlinemas service.

The minister greeted the family with a smile and jumped back after a double-take when he saw Elphaba. "Good God! Y...you're-"

"Yes?" Elphaba narrowed her eyes, staring up at him.

"Are... are you-"

"I'm not going to burst into flames whenever I step into a place of worship," she spoke sarcastically. "Last I checked I was perfectly human." she scowled and followed her friend inside.

"Are you alright?" Callistra asked when the young woman found them.

Elphaba nodded. "Fine. Nothing I haven't dealt with before." _At least this time I wasn't chased away with a metal poker and called the devil. _She shuddered as her mind drifted to a dark memory, she quickly shook it off before it took root inside her head.

Glinda pulled her friend down into the seat beside her and the service began. She noticed the minister glancing warily over at the two of them, and she kept her arm around her friend with a pointed look. _Elphie shouldn't have to deal with such abuse..._

It turned out that Glinda had been right, during his sermons, Elphaba became bored, almost as if he was sending her to sleep. When the hymns and carols started, she recognised some and was able to join in with the singing, which she found that she enjoyed. While she wouldn't convert to Lurlinism, she had a new fondness for the church services, even if she would only attend once a year.

After the service had finished, they returned home to open the rest of their presents.

Elphaba blinked in confusion as the small pile of presents were dropped in front of her. "What? Am I helping you to unwrap your gifts?" she raised an eyebrow.

Glinda giggled. "No, silly! They're yours!"

Callistra and Jacquo exchanged looks. Did she really not expect to get anything?

The green girl paused. "Mine?"

"Yes. Look at the gift tags if you don't believe me." She watched as her friend did as she was told and she sighed. "Elphie, things must have been awful for you in the past, but that's changing now. It's a perfectly normal thing to get gifts for birthdays. And Lurlinemas. And anniversaries. These are your gifts from people who love you."

"But... I wasn't able to...-"

"It's alright. We didn't do this because we expected something in return."

Elphaba bit her lip at the overwhelming feelings of love and gratitude for the friends in her life. For Glinda, for her parents, for Fiyero, Ollivander and Boq.

Glinda smiled softly, giving her a one-armed hug and started to unwrap her gifts, knowing her friend needed a moment to herself.

Elphaba was the last to unwrap hers, still unable to shake off the emotional feelings constricting her heart. Slowly she unwrapped a snowglobe from Ollivander, a scrapbook over her family's history from her aunt, a silver Munchkin music box from Boq and a photo album wrapped in a cobalt blue, sequinned scarf from Fiyero. Glinda's parents had also gifted her with a selection of books they thought she would be interested in. "Thank you..." she said softly.

Callistra smiled gently and hugged her. "It's quite alright."

Glinda took the photo album and looked through it. "Oz, Elphie look! It's all the pictures that had been taken of all of us!"

"I'll look later..." Elphaba smiled slightly. She was in no mood to see herself, as awful as she was, printed forever in a picture.

The blonde nodded, oblivious to her friend's change in mood and figured she was feeling overwhelmed with it all, she continued to look at the photos Fiyero had managed to get. Boq truly did take wonderful photos. It wasn't until Elphaba got up and fled the room that Glinda realised something wasn't right. "Elphie?"

"I think she just needs some air, sweetheart." her father told her.

Glinda sighed. Elphaba had probably wanted to run at her birthday meal and wasn't able to. "She's not used to people showing her kindness in this way..." She got up and ran after her, grabbing her gloves and coat along the way. "Elphie, wait!" She followed her outside into the snow-covered garden, and they stopped by a fir tree standing tall and green against the bright white surroundings. "Elphie..."

"I'm sorry... I just..."

"I know," she told her friend gently, reaching up to wipe Elphaba's tears. "I know."

She gasped softly, not realising she had been crying, and Glinda had quickly wrapped her arms around her. Although it was happening slowly, Elphaba was still struggling with acceptance, being loved and cared for, getting gifts as any normal girl would. The small, select people in her life loved her unconditionally, but she still faced judgement and abuse and misunderstanding from everyone else around her.

"Oh, Elphie... It's alright now..." Glinda rubbed her back in a comforting manner.

"No. No, it's not..." Elphaba said quietly. "It's never going to be alright, because I'm always going to..." she trailed off.

"Forget those small-minded people! Elphie, they don't matter! Their opinions do not matter!"

"But they do! And it does!" she snapped. "Glinda, you don't know what it's like... The most natural reaction of people when they see me is fear. Disgust."

Glinda bit her lip. "You're right, Elphie... I don't... But I know what it's like to love my best friend. I know what it's like to have a sister, and it's because of you."

"You shouldn't..."

"Why on earth not?"

"Because..."

"You're green? I'm practically pink! And what did I tell you? Pink and green look amazing together! See?" A pink gloved hand clasped the bare green hand and she held their hands aloft.

A tearful laugh escaped her and she nodded.

"You're loved by those who matter, Elphaba. As hard as it is, forget those who don't. They don't know you. They don't know how wonderfully sarcastic you are. They don't know the big heart you have inside of you."

They hugged again, and dashed back inside when Elphaba shivered, having left the house without her coat.

"Is everything alright now?"

Glinda nodded at her mother's question. "It will be." She squeezed her friend again gently. "We'll get there."

Callistra nodded, though she wouldn't be surprised if the poor girl caught a chill and was sick by the end of the holidays. "Come on, dinner is ready." she smiled at them both.

A/N: Sorry for the delay! I know it's a bit late for a Christmas day/Lurlinemas chapter, but I had some editing to do with this one :)


	10. Chapter 10

**Sadness and Secrets**

.

Winter break was over far too quickly for almost everyone's liking. Elphaba was glad to be back at school, as much as she loved her friend, as much as she enjoyed her time away with her, she craved to get back to normality as quickly as possible. If only she hadn't felt so damned awful and unwell!

"Elphie? Are you quite alright?" Glinda cast a concerned look over her shoulder. The train journey back had been rather quiet, Elphaba seemed to have lost her voice.

Elphaba gave her friend a slight nod as she helped to haul their bags back to the school. "Fine, Glinda." she croaked.

"I think you should have a hot bath and I'll get you a hot water bottle and you should go to bed."

"Yes, Mother." the sarcasm had lost its effect with the scratchy tones as they trudged through the slushy snow, and Elphaba tightened her scarf around her neck and the hood of her cloak over her head.

The blonde rolled her eyes and waved her arm out to signal for a carriage. She beamed a wide, dazzling smile as one slowed before them and a slightly older gentleman stepped down from the carriage.

"Would you like some assistance, miss?"

"Oh, that would be most kind of you!" Glinda spoke in a higher tone than her usual voice. "My best friend and I need to get back to Shiz University. Would you by any chance be going that way?"

The male nodded, casting a glance toward Elphaba, though he couldn't see any green skin. "Are you alright?"

"She's unwell with a cold, poor thing." Glinda pouted, and Elphaba, not for the first time, was impressed by her acting abilities.

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that. Here, let me take those and get you back to school."

Glinda didn't need to be told twice and gladly handed over her cases and jabbed her friend to do the same and they both boarded the carriage. With their bags loaded, the carriage then started to move. Elphaba sat with her head rested against the window and she closed her eyes, the cool glass soothing to her burning forehead.

"Just think, it won't be long before you see Fifi and everything will be good with the world again!" Glinda told her, only to get a grunt in response and she simply shrugged. "I hate to say I told you so, but-"

"Then don't."

The blonde rolled her eyes and huffed. "Fine. But that's twice you've run out into the snow without adequate footwear or a coat!"

Elphaba grumbled quietly, and neither woman spoke for the rest of the journey. She did _not _need a reminder of what happened that New Year's Eve party, thank you very much!

Glinda hopped out when the carriage pulled to a complete stop, and tugged on the arm of the nearest male student who happened to pass her direction. "Oh, Oz, thank goodness you're here! You couldn't possibly help me with my bags, could you?" she fluttered her eyelashes and looked at him sweetly. "It's just... it's been an awfully long journey..."

"Of course! Right away, Miss Glinda!" The boy nodded enthusiastically, beaming with a confidence Elphaba only saw when her best friend turned the charm up full. The green girl shook her head as she was helped out of the carriage and the boy was already carrying the cases towards their school. Clearly, he was carrying more than he could cope with in the hopes that it would impress the blonde.

Glinda giggled softly. "I've still got it!"

Elphaba then rolled her eyes. "Glinda, you know damn well it never left," she commented and was dragged along back to their dorms.

"I... I had to stop there, Miss Glinda. The guard took them up for you." the boy told her, clearly ignoring Elphaba, and clearly ignoring the fact he had just carried her belongings back to the school.

"Thank you so much, that was so kind of you to do that for us. Wasn't it, Elphie?"

He blushed and quickly made his escape, and Elphaba couldn't even find the energy to laugh at him. They both headed inside Crage Hall and back to their dorm room, Elphaba immediately collapsing on her bed with a groan that was muffled by her pillow.

Glinda sighed happily with a grin. "Home sweet home! Well... for you, at least. Now, where did I put..." her voice fell quiet as she muttered to herself and started looking for her hot water bottle to give to Elphaba. "Hah! Found it!" she proclaimed five minutes later, leaving the bathroom and looked over when she heard soft snoring from her friend. Elphaba, still fully dressed, had managed to get herself into bed and curled up beneath the blanket. Glinda set it down on the desk and quickly changed out of her travelling clothes before leaving the room.

"Miss Glinda! It's wonderful to see you back."

Glinda spun on her heel when she heard a voice across the school's canteen and she smiled softly when she saw Boq walking toward her. "Isn't it?!" she giggled, unable to help herself. "Did you have a good Lurlinemas?"

He couldn't help but roll his eyes with a smile and he gave her a half-hearted shrug. "It was alright. A little lonely being stuck here by myself though. How was it for you and Miss Elphie?"

"Oh, it was wonderful! Although Elphie got sick a couple of days ago, she's full of cold and tucked up in bed, I just came to get her some soup."

Boq nodded. "She is prone to being ill around the wintertime. She doesn't like the cold." he mused as they ventured further into the canteen which was occupied by only a handful of students.

Glinda nodded. _I still wonder how she would have managed if she had been on the run... _she thought. "We should have a reunion dinner once our friends return."

"Good idea. Will Miss Elphie be alright with it?"

"I think... if we don't disturberate her too much from now until then." Glinda mused and ordered her friend's soup and a sandwich for herself. "I believe it should take the rest of the week for them to come back. Have you heard from Nessa at all? Are you not going to eat?"

He shook his head. "I've only just finished," he commented. "No, I did get a present from her though, with a note apologising again for her actions." he almost looked guilty.

"Oh, come now! She dug herself into this hole, she can very well climb out of it. Actions speak louder."

"Oz, you sound like Elphie!"

There was a pause and they both fell into giggles. "Goodness, maybe she has more of an influence on me than we realised."

He grinned. "See you later, Miss Glinda."

She nodded and headed back to her dorm room. She set the cup down on Elphaba's bedside table. "Elphie. I brought you some soup."

The green-skinned woman groaned and rolled over, but didn't remove her blankets from her head.

Glinda simply shrugged and settled on her bed with her sandwich, her friend would move in her own time.

And sure enough, two minutes later, she saw the blankets shift once more and Elphaba slowly sat up and leaned on her headboard, reaching for the still-warm cup of tomato soup and she slowly sipped at it, a tentative smile on her face when it soothed her throat. "Thank you."

"No problem." the blonde smiled and the duo ate in silence. _Oz, she really does look awful. _She thought sympathetically. Rather than looking _greener_, Elphaba looked _paler_. "If Fifi blames me for you being sick, Miss Elphie."

Elphaba shook her head slightly with a smile. "I'll be sure to tell him it was my own fault." she yawned and put the empty cup on the table. "I should probably go for a bath..." she had barely finished speaking when Glinda hopped up to run to the bathroom, and moments later running water was heard.

Over the next few days, Glinda continued to nurse her friend back to health, turning away their friends when they wanted to see if she was alright. There was still no sign of Fiyero, but that didn't concern her, they were used to him turning up at the last moment.

A few days later, Elphaba eventually dragged herself out of bed, feeling much better than she had in the past week. She allowed herself a small smile at the few get well cards she had received from her friends, it was a nice feeling knowing people cared for her. She took herself to the bathroom quietly to shower and get herself ready for the day, knowing Glinda would be awake by the time she was done.

Half an hour later, dried and fully dressed, her hair up in a towel, Elphaba left the bathroom, finding her friend waking up.

"Elphie! You're awake!"

"How very observant of you. You should know I would never miss the start of classes. Are you going to be joining us?"

Glinda blinked at the clock and pouted. "Elphie you talk as though we're going to be late! The canteen's barely opened for breakfast!"

Elphaba chuckled and made her bed. "I know. I'm just bored of being stuck in bed being sick."

"How are you feeling?"

She nodded. "Much better than before, thank you." she smiled, shaking her head as her friend jumped up and headed for the bathroom.

Once both girls were ready, they left their dorm with their books in their arms, meeting Nessa on the way out with Attricia.

"Fabala! It's good to see you looking better." Nessa gave her sister a tentative smile. "Did you enjoy your time away?"

Elphaba gave her younger sister a small smile and nodded. "Thank you, I feel much better after a rest. We did, we had a wonderful time."

Nessa nodded, wringing her fingers in her lap. "I missed you. It wasn't the same without you."

The green girl resisted the urge to roll her eyes, but she did let out a scoff at the words. "I'm sure you were the only one."

"I think we should all get going, we don't want to be late." Attricia put in gently, taking note of the flash of relief on Glinda's face. "Let's not indulge in tensions before the semester has started."

"Come on, Elphie..." Glinda tugged on Elphaba's arm and pulled her out of the building.

Nessa watched with sadness in her eyes, she wished she could have her sister back in her life, but knew it would be a long while before that happened again. "I really did miss her."

"I can imagine, Miss Nessa, perhaps in time you can make up with each other," Attricia told her before she wheeled her out into the courtyard.

Nessa nodded, her shoulders dropping. "I do hope so..."

A/N: I'm aware this chapter isn't my best, and I can only apologise, the whole lockdown situation hasn't been all that great on my creativity... hopefully everyone else is keeping safe and I hope to be back on form ASAP, I just wanted to let you know I hadn't forgotten you all. Sending you all my love!


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